Introduction to tantric Buddhism

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

DEPARTIIEKT OF ARCHAEOLOGY

CENTRAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIBRARY •

Cali.

D.G.A, 79.

1

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AN INTRODUCTION TO

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

12.578

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Bhusan Dasgupta, ii.A., ph.d,,

Lecturer, CalcuUa Univeisiiy

Ukr’ebsity Of Caixutta

1930

price Rs. 7/^/ only'

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Frfnftfd in India PUBLiaHED BY StEENDHj&^N'ATH StTFEBlS^rEVDEKT (OtPO.), CaICUTTA UsIVI^^XTY PB£BB, 48, Haze A Road, Baixygutnoe, Cai^cutta and Fbinteo at The Modebi^ Art PaebBp 1 / 2 , Dusoa PmjM Lane,

Calcutta. « 

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“ The Revered and Beloved Memory of Professor Benimadhab Barua i

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CONTENTS

Preface A cknowledgTn Abbre\^ationEi

Paget

vn-^x

XI

XII

Ckaptes I FRELIMIXARY

(i) Million of the Tantras in General and the Buddhist Tantras iii PArticular

fii) T^e Salient Features of Mahayzina as contrasted with HtnayUriA

(Aj The Final Goal

(B) The Three Schools—^4ra>^akayana, Pratyeka- Buddhayana and BodKisuttvayftiiA

(C) The Paramitfis

(D) The Dnectic Conception of the Three Kflyos „ |E) Prcdominaiice of Ptiitosophical Thoughts

(iiij Philosophical fiyatems

(A) tfadhyamika PhOosophy of N&glrjuna

(B) The Tathata^vada of Asvagliosa ... ..,

fC) Vijfiana-N’ddft or Yo^fleara

(D) Affinity with Vedanta

' Chapter II

UiVSYSTEMATLSED PHILOSOPHICAL FRAGMENTS FOUND IN ran BUDDHIST TANTHAS ... 41—50

Chapter III SCHOOLS OF TaNTBIC BUDDHISM

(i) The Evolution of Maiitrayina

(ii) Va]TAyiiiA—the most common name

(A) KilHcakTayaDa^ etc*

(B) General CharacteriiiticB of Vajrayjlna

CONTENTS

Chapteb IV

THE THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTRtC BUDDHISTS

(i) Vajra find Vfljrasattvfl (li) Bodhicittfl

(A) Genenil Conception af Bodhicittn

(B) Siinyatft and Karui;i4 as Pfajfli and Upftya

(C) Cosmolo^^icd and Ontological Aspects of PrajAa and Upaya

(D) Prajfia and Upwya as Male and Female

(E) Prajfia and 0paya as Lalana-RasanI* Left and Right, Vowel and Consonniits^ etc.

(iii) Advaya (Non-dnality) and Ynganaddha (Ptineiple of Union)

(iv) R&ga (Affection) and Mahirfiga (Great Affection)

(v) Samarasn

(vi) Hahasukha (Supreme Bliss) ns the Final Goal! Nirvana and Mahasuhha

(A) NirA^&na as Posttixe Slate of Bliss

(B) Nirvana as Mah^sukha in the BnddhiJit Tantrat

(C) The CMmological and Ontological Significance of MahSsuJkha

(D) Mahasnkha in Relation to the Esoteric Practice

(E) The Transformed Idea of Rodhicitta in Relation to the Esoterfe Yogie Practice

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA ... 160—198

{i] Body—the Medium for Realising the Truth

(A) The Theory of the Ftexua

(B) The Nerve System

(ii) Sclectiorf of the Preceptor (in) The ProducMon of Bodhicitta and iU Regulation 178—IQjD

(iv) The Four Mudrasr Four Momenta and the Four kindi of Bliss *.* *.* 190—198

4 Chapter VI

THE .ARGUMENT OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHISTS

IN DEFENCE OF THEIR TOGA ... 197^217

Bibliography Word Index

PREFACE

The present work embodies substantially the thesis submitted by the author^ and approved, for the Prem- chaiul Eoychand Studentship of the University of Calcutta in 11307, Due to the abnormal conditions prevailing in the Country during and after the World War H, the author could not arrange to have his work published earlier, it is being published after a lapse of twelve years—an Indian. Yuga. Though very late, the author feels it a duty to bring before the reading public the fruits of his labour in the hope that they may be of some use and interest to those who find pleasure in making an academic study of a religious subject.

Whether Vedic or Non-Vedic in origin, Tantricism, both Brahmanical and Buddliistic, represents a special aspect of the religious and cultural life of India, A thorough study of Tantricism is, tiierefore, indispens¬ able for a close aequaititance with the special quality of the Indian mind. For a long time it was cuslomary to hold that Tantricism is an off-shoot of Hinduism, or that it constitutes only a particular phase of Hindu Sadhaiia ; but researches in later Buddhism have now brought home that, so far as the extant literature is concerned, the stock of Tantric literature is richer and niore varied in the domain of Budclhism than in that of Hinduism, Much more, it is hoped, may be recovered or reconstructed from the Tibetan and Chinese sources* Thanks to the scholarly endeavour of the Oriental Institute, Baroda, wliich has published a number of important Buddhist Tantric texts and made them available to the scholar and the general reader,

Tantricism, whether Itiiidu or Buddhistic, (ancl we shall presently see that they are fundamentally the same) has been the target of all sorts of criticism,

PREFACE

charitable and uncharitable, from scholars, both Oriental and OccideiitaL It has often been styled as a school of religious mysticism, where the word mysti¬ cism is taken, more often than not, as a loose synonym for pu 7 , 7 .Ung obscurity. The present author has, how¬ ever, tried to keep his mind open as far as practicable throughout the wfiole study. His interest has mainly been academic and fultural. He has studied a consi¬ derable number of texts, both published and un- pubtislu'd, gathered information, analysed and classi- hed them and has then tried to give a correct exposition on textual basis, avoiding personal observations and judgment as far as possible. There are many things in the practices of the Tantrikas which are undoubtedly unconventional ; the author has tried to exhibit tiiem ^vtthout offering any apology or advocacy. If errors have crept in, in the form of mis-statement or mis¬ interpretation, they are due mainly to the fact that ancient religious literature, embodying complicated practices and subtle realisation, may not be deciphered properly by “our modern spectacled eyes.”

The inspiration of the author came from another source. It is known to all students of the Modern Indian Languages that tlie literatiure of the early period—^|)articularly in Bengali—comprises a number of s<»ngs and Do has, dealing witli the tenets of the Tan trie Buddhists. To understand and appreciate the meaning of these songs and Dolt as the Tan trie background must be clearly understood. The present ■study was an attempt towards that direction. This study brought to the notice of the author many new and interesting facts w^hich led liim to pursue his study further and the Hiidings of further researches in this direction have been incorporated in his book, Obscure Heligiotis Cults as Background of Bengali Literature (published in by the I'niversity of Calcutta).

As the number of published texts on Tantrie

PBEFACF,

ix

liuddbism is very scantj^ the author had to collect his iitaterial^ mainly from tinpubtished manuscripts. As there is no possibility of many of these texts being published in the near future, tiie author has deemed it proper to quote copiously from these manuscripts to illustrate ills points and to substantiate his generalisa¬ tions, This, the author hopes, will give the reader a better opportunity for making his own judgment and also for testing the validity of the statements made and conclusions arrived at. Because of the obscure nature of the topics discussed the author had to re¬ introduce some of them in different contexts, wfiich made some amount of repetition unavoidable.

A few words sJiould be said about the manuscripts, most of which are preserved in the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, some in the Central Library, Boroda, some ill the library o.f the Cambridge University, some in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. Except the manuscripts preserved in the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, all the other manuscripts were available to the present wTiter in rotograph through the courtesy of ,Dr. S. N, Dasgupta, M,A., Ph.D, (Cat. & Cantab,), D. Lit. (Rome), the then Principal of the Sanskrit College, Calcutta. Apart from the fact that the manuscripts, scribeti on palm-leaves, or indigenous hand-made paper in Newari (old Xepalese script), the texts are full of corruptions. Further, the texts were not composed in strictly correct and elegant Sanskrit. The metre is often defective; words are sometimes used without proper suffix ; wrong forms are used in analogy; sondfei is not treated as essential; pseudo-Sanskritic words have crept in due probably to the influence of the V’ernaciiiars. Because of all these the author has not thought it wise to tamper with the reading of the manuscripts in the form of corrections. Corrections have been made or suggested only in cases where the mistake or the corruption has been palpable. As for

PEEF&CE

transcription, the author has experienced some typ^ graphical difficulty and a few words had to be left ' unmarked or without proper marking* v

The author acknowledges bis indebtedness predecessors^ who have worked in the field. T e nature and extent of such indebtedness have always been indicated in foot-notes. Reference of manuscnpte include the folio number and the serial number m the libraries or institutions where they are preserved.

The Author,

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author takes this opportunity of recording his deep sense of gratitude to Professor S, X* Dasgupta, the great Indian Philosopher, for the help, advice and encouragement the author received from him. Pro¬ fessor Dasgupta drew the attention of the writer to the subject of 1^ study and procured for him many manuscripts from abroad. Some portions of this work were published in the journal Indian Culture in the form of separate articles; for this the board of editors deserves thanks from the author. The author received help from Father Pierre Fallon, M,A., in preparing the press-copy of the manuscript. The author acknow¬ ledges liis indebtedness to Professor K. N. Mitra, M.A,, under whose a^ectionate care the research on the subject was carried on. The author thanks the Registrar (Offg.) of the Calcutta University, Sri Satish- chandra Ghosh, M.A. and the Superintendent (Offg,) of Press, Sri Sibendranath Kanjilal, B.Sc., Dip., Pkint, (Mauchester) for the interest they took in the printing and publication of the book.

AsuTOSH Building, January, 19S0.

S, B. Dasgltta.

ABBREVIATIONS

Bibliotbi^ue Natioiivirp Pori^ Central Library* Baroda Gaekwad*^ Oriental Seriea ... jQuraal &f the Htiyal Afiatia Snekty ,,, Rayai Asiatic Society of Ben^

CHAPTER I

PRELIMINARY

(i) Missio?t Of The Tantras In General Awd T/i e Tantras In Particular

Tlie priniarj' concern of the Buddhist Tantras is not to establish a definite system of metaphysical thought. Just as the Hindu Tantras, taking for granted the fundamental tenets of the Darsanas, apply them to a practical effort of realisation, so the Buddhist Tantras, on the basis of the Mahayana principles, dictate practi¬ cal methods for the realisation of the supreme goal. Ideas, current in other religious circles, are also incor- porated. These Tantras are primarily concerned with i the Sadhana or the religious endeavour, hut not with

anv system of abstract philosophy. The philosophical ' portions introduced here and tliere can neither success- fulh' explain the various practices and rituals, nor arc i they always relevant to the topics with iivhich the Tan¬ tras are generally concerned. The main object of the Tantra literature is to indicate and explain the practical method for realising the truth, and so, the abstract 1 metaphysical speculations could never find any pro- . minence in it. The different metaphysical systems deal I with the nature of the reality and the plvilosophic method for its realisation; whereas the Tantras lay I stress on the esoteric methods for realising that reality.

7 In short, the Tantra, whether Hindu or Riiddhistie, has

\ to be regarded as an independent religious literature,

! which utilised relevant philosophical doctrines, hut whose origin may not be traced to any system or sys¬ tems of philosophy; it consists essentially of religious

metliods and practices which are current in India from

a very old lime. The subject-matter of Ihe Tantras may include esoteric yoga, hymns, rites, rituals, doc¬ trines and even law, medicine, magic and so forth.

2

TANTRTC BUDDHISM

Et3'mologicallj’^ the ivorti Tantra may be taken to mean any kind of elaboration (if derived from the root ton, to spread), or to mean kno^v'ledge (if derived from the root tawfri)*' Taking the first derivation, Tantra may be explained as that which spreads knowledge (fnni/ate, visfaryate jaanam anena iti tan (ram). There is thus a wider connotation of the word Tantra to mean any 'expanded^ literature which deak ela¬ borately with any department of studj^ either in a theoretical or in a practical manner. Thus some sys¬ tems of philosophy have often been referred to as TantraSf e.g., Ni/ajya-fantrcsu, SrtThfthj/o-tantresw, or Cikitsfl-fantTesn, and so on. But it has also a limited connotation inasmuch as the word Tantra means an esoteric literature of a religions and practical nature. It is difficult to say how the use of the word Tantra in this limited sense became so important that in com¬ mon parlance the word seems to have acquired almost entirely this specialised sense. The treatment herein followed is limited to this specialised Tantra literature as a practical esoteric science.

Because of this practical nature of the Tantras, they have never been the subject for pure academic discussion. They have always been transmitted from the preceptor to the disciple in the most secret manner and it has always been lield an unpardonable crime on the part of a Sddhaka to let the uninitiated into tlic secret of their Sddhand,

A critical study of the nature of Tantric Buddhism will reveal that there is no organic relation between Tantricism and Buddhism of any form. It is not a fact that Buddhism, in the course of evolution in any of its aspects, developed wdthin its arena the composite practices known us Tantricism; on the other hand, Buddhism, in the later phases of Mahayana, seems to have adopted these practices, whiclx were a growth of

• See »n artide Gtrietat Introduction to Tantra Phihifophy by

Dr. S, N. Dasgupta in hii Philoeopbtcal Essayg (Calcutta Uuivereity).

3

MISSION OF THE TaNTRAS

tlie soil and as such a coininon heritage both of the Hindus and the Buddhists. In short, Buddliism did not evolve them out of its own materials. We have said that as a reliffious science Taiitricism has its indepeml- cnt history ; its association with Buddhism may histori¬ cally be explained with reference to the spirit of catholidtv which characterises Mahayana Buddiusm as a whoie. It will be more correct to say that the .Tantric theological speculations that are found in the Buddhist Tantras represent the gradual transfonnalion of later Maliayank ideas, effected through the associa¬ tion of the various Tantric practices, than to say Iha. the practices are there because of the theological specu¬ lations.

There seems to be no essential difference between Tantricism within the province of Hinduism and that within the province of Buddhism. .4part from the multifarious accessories, to judge by the essentials, Tantricism, both Hindu and Buddhist, lays steess a theological principle of duality in non-dualit 5 \ Both the schools hold that the ultimate non-dual reality possesses tivo aspects in its fundamental nature, t ^e negative (niorHi) and the positive (pravrfti), the static and the djmainic,—and these two aspects of Uie reahty are represented in Hinduism by and Sakti and in Buddhism by Prajnd and f/paya (or ^unj/ata and karuna). It has again been held iu the Hindu Tantras that the metaphysical principles of are

manifested in this material ivorld in the form_ of the male and the female ; Tantric Buddhism also holds that the principles of Prajna and Vpdya are objectified in the female and the male. The ultimate goal of both the schools is the perfect sUtc of union-union between the two aspects of the reality and the realisation of the non-dual nature of the self and the not-self. The L principle of Tantricism being funfiamentally the same everv'where, the superficial differences, whatever these mav be, supply only different tone and colour. While

4 TAICTRIC BUDDHISM

the tone and colour of the Hindu Tanlras are sup^died by the philosophical and religious ideas and practices of the Hindus, those of the Buddhist Tantras are sup¬ plied by the ideas and practices of the Buddhists,

If ive analyse the Buddhist Tantrus we shall find three elements in them, viz., (1) the unsystematised metaplivsieal fragnienls taken from tlte different schools of Buddhistic thought, particularly from Mahu- yana Buddhism and also from cognate Hindu thought; , (2) a Tantric theology, which, though substantially the Same as found in the Hindu Tantras, utilised relevant later Mahayanie ideas; (3) practices. Apart froni the fundamental theological position, we find in the Hindu Tantras the ideas of Vedanta, Voga, Saiiikhya, Nyaya- vaisesika, the Piuanas and even of the medical sciences and the law bookstall scattered here and there j so also in the Buddhist Tantras we find fragments of meta¬ physical thought, which are all taken from the leading schools of Mahayana Buddhism as influenced by Upani- sadic monism. Ideas are often put side by side indiscriminately without knowing their import and importance, and as a result 'tt’e find Sunya~vada, Vijna- na-vada and Vedanta ail confusedly jumbled together. The leading tenets of early Buddhism also lie scattered liere and there side by side with the Mahayanie and Brahminic ideas and the other Indian systems like Satiikhya and Yoga also have been frequently intro¬ duced in a rather distorted form.

For all practical purposes, let us first of all try to take a general survey of the philosophical and theolo¬ gical background of the Buddhist Tauti'as and then the three elements, spoken above, will be taken into consideration in order.

(ii) The Salient Features Of Mahayana As Contrasted ITiMt f/incfj/una

Buddhism has been historically as w-eil as philoso¬ phically divided into two great schools, viz., Jlinayana

5

MAHAY.4NA AS CONTRASTED WITH HINAVaNA

and Mahayana. By Ilinayana is generally meant the Pah Buddhism of the earlier period and it is also popu¬ larly known as the Southern Buddhism and its follow ers *are found in the Southern countries like Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Java, Sumatra, etc.; by Mahayana Buddhism on the other hand is meant the later Sanskrit Buddhism current in the Northern countries like China. Japan, Tibet, Nepal, etc.' The later Buddhists would style their school as the Mahayana or the great vehicle" m contrast to the narrow and orthodox schoo of the Buddhists of earlier times, whom they would designate as belonging to the lUiiayana or the ‘httle vehicle In the .Wahat/anQ-siitroian/farfl of Asanga the Hinayana has been condemned as very narrow because cf its five points of dUIercncc with the Mahayana. These are, firstly, the narrow aim of self-liberation and, secondly, the narrow teachings to realise that aim, thirdly, the nanow method applied for this reahsation, fourthly, insuliicieney of equipment and, fifthly, the shortnek of time within which final liberation is .niaranteed.^ In fact, the Mahayana school is always characterised by a broadness of outlook, and deep sympathy for the suffering beings. But it may be observed iu tliis connection that as on the one hand this freedom of thought, broadness of outlook and the spirit of liberalism saved Buddhism from the walls of narrow scholastic dogmatism and raised it from the selfish hankering after personal liberation to the sub¬ limity of a religion for the suffering humanity, on the other hand, it contained also germs of iudisciplme and revelry of wild thoughts which were responsible for the incorporation of all sorts of practices in Buddhism.

The word Mahayana, as we find it mentioned in

• Many jiahayana wholars of recent times, however, think that

the MaliAyfintt view i.^ os oJd fls the Hinayunft.

^ aiayasuti' Hudt'iorytt pniyo{J««f«i tjirorffinioh I .

H iialatya ynt hUid^ hinftw II

.Uaftoaano-sfitTafarikiiru. Ch. I, terse 10.

— Ldvi’s Edition.

6

TaN’TRIC buddhism

the of fuith Mahayana {Mahayana-sTad-^

dho-tpdda-sutra) of Asvaghosa, * meant the highest principle or reality, or the knowledge which is the pri- iiiordial soilrce of the universe as a whole; and all the objects, animate and inanimate, are nothing but the manifestations of that one unchanging and immutable principle, and only through it final salvation of all beings is possible. * Hut historically Mahayana refers to tlie school of Buddhism which is styled by its adherents to be the great way to salvation because of the univer¬ sality and generosity of its tenets. It is held tradition¬ ally that after the death of Buddha, tliere arose a peat controversy among Ins disciples as to the correct interpretation of the sayings of the Master and also about the rules of discipline indispensable for a monk. Great councils were convened to settle these contro¬ versies. It Is said that in the second council held in Vesali the controversy finaQy ended in a split up among the Buddfiists and the dissenters convened another great assembly {l/ahasa/ig/m) to have a separate school of their own and tJiey were known as the Mahasahglii- kas. In this way, as time was passing on, the contro¬ versy between these radicalists and the orthodox elders (thera) began to be gradually accelerated and it finally resulted in the growth of the two separate schools ; the canonical tenets of the elders being styled as Hina- yana, and that of the latter as Mahayana, Without entering into the details of the historical development of the Mahayana doctrine, it will be sufficient for our purpose here to draw an outline of the leading tenets of the Mahayana school and its points of eontroversy with ITinayana.

' Mncjern ailiokfa arc, iiowever, loalh to accept A^vaghosa as the author of the work itahaytiH(i-6Taddhi}-tpada-tmTa, There is anam a great deal of Doutroversy over the lime of AS^aghb^u; but l^taTO Suzuki says,—“ Suffice it to say that be lived at the lime exlcndine from the luttcr half of the first century before Christ to about 50 or iSu

MAHAYAN4 AS COXTBASTED WITTI HTXAVANA 7

(A) The Final Goal

As tor tire final goal tire Malmyaniste believ-c that' every man—nay. every being of the world is a 1™ ™ Buddha; he has within him all the possibilities o becoming a .Soiltyufc-sawbliddho, l.e, the P" ^

lightened one. Consequently the idea of Arhathwa o he Hinayauists was replaced by the idea ol B«l^ satlvahood ot the Mahavaliists. The general aim oI the ShinSs was to attain .Arhalliood and thus through Sis or absolute entinetion to be liberated from the of birth and death. But this final ex inetion

throQ^^h Titru^Jia is not the ultimate goa -

S tirr ain, is to become a Bodhisaltva Here eomes in the question of universal eonipassion (moha- which is one of the cardinal principles of Maliavina Tlie Bodhisattva never accepts nirooMo Ihou-h bv meritorious and righteous deeds he entitled to it. He deliberately postpones his own sal¬ vation until the whole world of suffering beings be ^ 1 life is pledged for the salvation of the

sferU hc"carerfor his own, Even after being Entitled to final liberation the Bodhisattva works tor the Inlift of the whole world and ot his own accord he is ready to wait for time eternal until every sutfer- Vereatuie ot the world attains perfect becomes a Buddha Himself. Ordinary people of little S would always take refuge in the ale Bodhisattva. To pray for the compassion of the Bodhisattva was deemed as one of the host bTng relieved ot all suHering.' The patid ex^iplc of

in favour of suBeriag humanity, diseribed the Knroiido-vyu'i". will inspi^^eeli ng of siibliiiie r eve^

xii- PR (fa^u-tiwi ffflt fill nil di'iparfo-tlflina^ |1

Nac c« me hnnna krinm pfin.iam '

Uit Mtvniit Ji-afiyisyaTiit sfWto I elt-

EditioD, pp. 100*01.

TANTRIC BVDDinSM

ence for all time to eome/ TKe whole of Muhayana . literature breathes this spirit of universal eompassion, anil all the juetaphysieal and religious discourses are introduced avowedly with the intention of rendering help to the afflicted in getting rid of their ufTlictions. In the text jBodlit-cari/a-r’atora we find the Bodhi^ sattva praving for the distressed With clasped hands do l' pray to all the perfectly enlightened ones in all the quarters,"light the lamp of religion for all that are fallen in sorrow for attachment. With claspi- ing hands do I beseech all the self-controlled wise, who are bent on attaining the final extinction, to wait for innumerable ages,—let not this world be dark (without them). Let by all the good i have thus attained through these (righteous) performances all the sorrows of all the beings be completely pacified. . . . All my existence—all my happiness—all my good in the three worlds unconditionally do I renounce for the fulfilnient of the desire of all beings. My mind is bent on Nirvana, and everything has to he renounced for the sake of Ninyana, hut if I am to sacrifice everything let all be given to all things. : . . Let them sport with my body —let them laugh—and amuse ; when the body Is dedi¬ cated to them why should I take any more thought of it? Let them do any work they please to do with this body of mine ; my only prayer is,—let not any evil come to them ivith reference to me. Let all that will

^ It is snid that whoti Avalc^kitcsi^ara Bodhisatt^a^ alter obtain- ini; Nir\ai:ia, was about to nieT^^ hitoself in the eternaJ ^iinya from the summit of the Sumcru mountain he heurd an uproa? from a xety remote quarter and became remorseful - He sat there forthwith in intense mefiitation, and immediately rcfiliscd that the uproar was nothing but the wailitip the people at ihe disappearance of Avolokitesvaru, the all^sompassionate Bodhisnttva. In their utter helplessne^ at the prospect of losing the support of Avalokitesvara, who was tbciT onJy saiiiour from their worldly miseries and sufferliigs, they renfc the sky with their bitter wailings. Avalokitesvafa was deeply moved and when he came to know about t^is he resoived within himself not io accept his welUmcrited eraEincipation so lo!i^ as even a single indhiduul i<n earth rcmairu:d iiiiemaneipnted,^^ An Introduc- thn to Bruidhisl Esoterwa—by Dr. B* Bliattaeharya^ p. 29,*

tIntric buddhism

Upaya** In the ^fi-cakra-sambhiira-tantTa we find—

• Appearance, Metliod and great compassion are the

male deity whilst the void, Prajha, tranquillity and great bliss are the female deity’.* * In the Jvaiavali- vajramala-tantra it is said that the goddess iVajna resides in all women and the Lord remains in all men. ’ In the £lk'alia-iJira-ennda-7na/id-rosantt-taHtra the Lord Candarosana explains to the Lady that all men are of the nature of the Lord who is Upaya and all women are of the nature of the Lady who is Prajna; and the whole world is of the nature of the unity of Prajna and Upaya. As the son of Mayadevf Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Upaya and his wife Gopa was the incar¬ nation of Prajna or Prajna-paramita —and Lord Buddha attained mahamkha (supreme bliss) of the nature of Nirvana in union wilii the Prajha Gopa. *

li^the Pflhco-A'rflmfl of Nagarjuna-pada we find four grades or stages in sunyata, of which the first is the ^unyatd and the second is atisunyaid. ^unyatd has been described as Prajha * and it is also called the

‘ ytisil tflcot pmjM upoyah pvranah sniftaAl

—MS, p.

CL also MS. p, OStB). Cj. also oI DombU

Heruka. —MS. (C.L.B.> p. 82.

Vf. also prajm praVfMytt tatfo |i

— DSkaniai'a^ p. 137 (Sahitya^parisat EdLtioii),

• Trftnsltttpd from Tibetan by Kazi Dawasamdup. p. *is.

• sonnndTi-mui/ft’det'l adrt?(j-prtyHWJiiy«(i pmLfitth

—MS. p. IHB).

‘ cn’hfidi ertdrffl-rojoncitdm {rflffflh l

trawi rva gopa prn/nd-pflraT/irra-twiifrd |i

yavantas tv sttiytih narvas fa |

theological position of tee TanTRIC BUDDHISTS 117

vvonian.' .4tt$tlf^ij/a is eaUed Upaya, ’ aad the sex firmlog>" is also there. * *

In some places Prajiia is described as the female organ and Upaya as the male organ. Prajha is called the female organ because it is the abode of all pleasure which is great bliss (maAdsu^4m). * Again it is said that Prajna is called bkaga as she breaks or obstructs all the afflictions. "" It can also be inferred that the female organ is called the Prajha because all the beings have their birth from here as all the beings have their origin from the Prajha or the Sunyata. * *

It is said in the Uevajra-tantra—* Tlie lord is of the form of the seed u-hile its pleasure is called tlie girl ^ ’’ These Prajha and Upaya as the symbol of the female and the male are generally called the thunder and the lotus. “ We have seen before that Vajra is

MAHAYANA AS CONTRASTED WITlt HTNAYANA 9

speak ill of lue—that will do harm to me, that will laugh at me—^be entitled to attain perfect knowledge.

This feature of universal compassion was one of the most iniportant factors that popularised Buddhism very much in the hinds far and wide and gave the religion a deep liumanitarian tone. It is by this emphasis on compassion and also on devotion that Mahayana Buddhism could very easily attract the sympathy and attention of millions of people and could also harmomse

• itself with the current religious trend of India.

(B) The Three Schools—Sravak.a-yana,_Pratyeka- Buddha-yana And Bodhtsatta'a-yana

In connection vvitli this question of universal com¬ passion we may mention the general scheme of classi¬ fying the Buddhists into the Sravakas the hearers), the Pratyeka-Buddhas (i.e,, the individualistic Buddhas) and the* Bodhlsattvas tliose who.se very essence

is knowledge). The Sravakas are those who always listen to the preachings of the learned and try to follow them in their life. They try to understand the four noble truths (drya-satya) and to attain pari- niTvdna through a right comprehension of them. They Jiave mastery over the ten good actions, possess mental power (e(ffa)t but they have not the universal com¬ passion (niflfid-kaTMRa) which might inspire them for the well-being of the suffering world. They are always busy with themselves and so are regarded as the low¬ est in the rank. The middle place is assigned to the Pratyeka-Buddhas. They are bent on self-control.and generally lead a solitary retired life. They do not re¬ quire the instructions of any teacher to guide them at every step. They can comprehend the cause and con¬ ditions (heta-praij/ajya) of things, and through a right comprehension of the nature of causality attain salva¬ tion for themselves. They too do not pos.sess kanind

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

10

And so are ranked below the Bodhisattvas. The Bodhb sattvas are those who are more purified, have full control over their passions, have the right knowledge of all the expedients, have great resolution ; perfect enlightenment is their only support. Tiirough their upward marcii through the ten stages (daia-bfitinw) and througii the constant practice of the paromitfls (the best virtues) they attain Buddhahood; and they attain Buddhahood never for their ovm sake, but for, saving the whole world. In them maha-kflnfna has got the fullest scope and so they are the best of men,

(C) The Paramitas

In this connection we should also have a cursory glance at the Mahayanic conception of the six pdrami- tds or the best moral virtues and the conception of the Bodhicitta or the mind as enlightenment, and the pro¬ duction of the Bodhicitta (boflhi'Cifto-tpfldQ)* The pttTOfyiitcs are the moral virtucjs tfirough the practice of which the aspirer crosses the sea of existence and reaches the other shore.* These arc charity (dona), good conduct (^lo), forbearance (fcsflnti)t spiritual energy iVirya), meditation (dhydna) and knowledge (prajiid). After these virtues are acquired and the moral ground is prepared the aspirer is to produce a strong resolution in his heart for the realisation of his citta as perfect enlightenment. This h what is called the production of the Bodliicitta. The Bodliicitta pro¬ per involves witliin it two elements, perfect enlightenment of the nature of void (^unyotd) and universal compassion for the beings ihanina ); these sttnyoid and koruna combined together give rise to Bodhicitta. After its production, the Bodhicitta pro¬ ceeds on in an upward march through ten different stages which are called the hodkisafivo-hhumis the stages of the Bodhisattva). The first of these is the

’ Pariuxutii literBliy means that whidb takes one to the other Kahayaka as coktrasted with hInayana ll

stage of Framudita or the stage of delight or joy. Here the Bodhisattva rises from the eold, seif-suffieiag and tiiliilistic conception of Jiirodnfl to a higher spiritual contemplation. Tlic second is styled as the Kimala or the stage free from all detilement. The third is tlie PmhftaA’Ori or that which brightens; in this stage the Bodhisattva attains a clear insight—an intellectual light about the nature of the dharmas. The fourth stage is the or * full of Hames these flames

are the flames of Bodhi which burn to ashes all the passions and ignorance. At this stage the Bodhisattva practises thirty-seven virtues called bodhi^paksikas which mature the bodhi to perfection. The nest is the SuduTjayd stage or the stage irhich is almost invincible. This is a stage from wliieh no evil passion or tempta¬ tion can move the Bodhisattva. The sixth stage is called the where the Bodhisattva is almost

face to face with pro/rid or the highest knowledge. The seventh is the Diirangarnd which literally means ‘ going far aAvay^ In this stage the Bodhisattva attains the knowledge of the expedience which will help him in the attainment of salvation. Though he himself abides here by the principles of void and non-siualiiy and ilesirelessness, yet hi^ compassion for beings keeps him engaged in the actiA’ities for the well-being of all the creatures. The eighth is the stage of Acala, whicli means ‘immovable’- The next is the SMhumnii or the ‘ good will ’; when the Bodhisattva reaches such a stage all the sentient beings are benefited by his attainment of the higliest perfect knowledge. The tenth or the last is the stage of Dharma-megka (liter¬ ally the ‘clouds of dharma’), where the Bodhisattva attains perfect knowledge, great compassion, love and sympathy for all the sentient beings. When this last stage of l>/ianna-mcgha is readied, the aspirer becomes a perfect Bodhisattva/

• For n dtftfliled study of the subject see Aspects of .Ifahflj^ana

Uuddhifim It$ Relation to by Dr. N. FV.

TANTRIC BUDDHiSal

(D) The Docetic Conception Of The Three Kayas Another departure of the Mahayanists from the Hinayanists is in the doeetic conception of the person¬ ality of Buddha. The Hinayanists conceived Buddha only as a historical personage in the life and activities of Sakyamimi, But with the ilahayanists Buddha is no particular historical man,—he is the ultimate prin¬ ciple as the totality of things or as the cosmic unity* But this highest principle has three aspects wliich arc known as the tlirec kaj’as of the Buddha. These are,— (i) Dharma-kaya, (B) Sambhoga-kaya and (iii) Nir- mana-kaya. The word Dharma-kaya is often explain¬ ed as the body of the laws (dhtirma); and it may also be remembered that Buddha is said to have told his disciples that his teachings should be recognised as his own immortal body. But the word dharma is generally used in the Mahayana texts in the sense of * entity *; and the Dharma-kaya means the ‘thatness’ (fathatd- rupfl) of all the entities; it is in other words the dhama-d/idtu or the primordial element underlying all that exists. It has been also termed as the Svabhava- kaya*, i.c., the body of the ultimate nature. IL is described as devoid of all characters, but possessing eternal and innumerable qualities. It is neither the mind, nor matter — nor sometliing different from them both. The nature of the Dharma-kaya is described in the Avatamsaka-siitra'’ in the following manner; — “The Dharmakaya, though manifesting itself in the triple world, is free from impurities and desires. It unfolds itself here, there, and everywhere responding to the call of karma. It is not an individual reality, it is not a false existence, but is universal and pure. It comes from nowhere, it goes to nowiiere ; it does not

• But we shall see later on that Svahhava-kiya or Sahaja-kaya of Vajru-kAya was another kayo invented by the Vajiayanists and the Suhajiyas as the ultimate stage even after the Dharma.kuya. This stage has also been styled as the Mshlisukha-kaya.

=■ Quoted ill Suiuki’s Otdfines of JtahatfSaa Uuddhism, pp.

mahayana as contrasted with hIxayaKa 13

assert itself, nor is it subjeet to annihilation. It is for ever serene and eternal. It is the One, devoid of all determinations. This body of Dharina has no bound¬ ary', no quarters, but is embodied in all bodies. Its freedom or spontaneity is incomprehensible, its spiri¬ tual presence in things corporeal is incomprehensible. All forms of corporeality are involved therein, it is able to create all things. Assuming any concrete mate¬ rial body as required by the nature and couclition of karma, it illuminates all creations. Though it is the treasure of intelligence, it is void of particularity. There is no place in the universe where this body does not prevail. The universe becomes, but this body for ever remains. It is free from all opposites and con¬ traries, yet it is working in all things to lead them to Nirvana. ”

The Sambhoga-kaya is generally explained as the ‘ body of bliss ’ or the refulgent body of the Buddha. It is a very subtle body which manifests itself in the various conditions of bliss in the superhuman beiJigs tor preacliing the noble truths and for arousing in the mind of all the Sravakas, Pratyeka-Buddhas and the lay Bodhisattvas joy, delight and love for the noble religion (sad-dharma). It has been explained in the Sata-sahasrika and the Pa it cat'inisati-suh a srffca as an exceedingly refulgent body, from every pore of which streamed forth countless brilliant rays of light, illumin¬ ating the lokiidbatus as innumerable os the sands of the Ganges. When this body stretched out its tongue, innumerable rays of light issued forth from it, and on each ray of light was found a lotus of thousand petals on which was seated a Tathagata-vigraha (an image of the Tathagala, a sort of Nirmana-kaya), preaching to Bodhisattvas, Grhasthas (householders), Pravrajitas (recluses) and others tlic dharma consist¬ ing of the six paramitas, ”

• S« Anriii’Ctu Of Bi'fudoti 1 o flJ/ia-

ynnc^ by Kti. Duttj p- llbp

taxtric buddhism

The Xirmana-kaya is the historical personage of the Buchlha or the * Body of Transformation *. The historical Buddha is regarded as an incarnation of the eternal Tathagata or the manifestation in condescen¬ sion of the Dharma-tathata. Sakyasiihha Buddha is only one of the incarnations of the Dharma-kaya Bud¬ dha and his life and teachings are sought to be explain¬ ed as the ‘apparent doings of a phantom of the Buddha-kaya —■* a shadow image created to follow the ways of tJie world * only to convince the ignorant people of the world that it is not beyond the capaeitv of a man to attain iierfection. It is generally taken that the human Buddhas (Manusi Buddha) like Dipan- kara, Kasyapa, Gautama Buddha, Maitreya and others represent the Nirmana-kaya ; themyani Bodhisattvas (Vairocana, Aksobhya and others) in their body of supreme happiness represent the Sambhoga-kaya and the Dhyani Bud<lha in Xirvana in a state of complete union with all the truths for time eternal represents the Dlianna-kaya,

This Tri-kaya tiieory of the Mahayanists deve¬ loped these cosmological and ontological significance only in course of its evolution* Before it developed these cosmological and ontological meanings, the theory as mere Cudtlhalogy would be explained in the follow^ing manner; — *

The nuinlessence of Buddha is Pure Enlighten¬ ment (ho dhi) or perfect Wisdom iprajna-pdTamita), or knowledge of the Law (d/ionna), i.e., the absolute truth. By attaining this knowledge iiirvatiu is also attained • the Dharma-kaya BuddJia is the Buddha in nirvana {Sartiddhi-Iidya). Again, before lie is merged into niruflaa he possesses and enjoys, for his own sake and for others* welfare, the fruit of his charitable behaviour as a BodluHattva, and this is the Body of Enjoyment or the Beatific -Body (Sambhoga-kaya). Again, Iiuman

‘See an Brlide, The Three Bodies 0/ q Buddha hv P»nf l«  Valiee Fousin io the .I.R.A.S., JOOO, pp. ,

mahayana as contrasted with hTnayana 15

being$» known as the Buddhas^ who are created by the magical contrivances represent the Created Body (N irniana-kay a),

But after the Tri-kaya theory acquires an onto¬ logical and cosmological meaning, Dharma-kaya means the void and permanent reality underlying the things (dharma), or, in other words, the uneharacterised pure consciousness (m/napti-TOatra), Sambhoga-kaya means the Dharma-kaya evolved as Being, Bliss, Charity, Radiance, or the Intellect, individualised as the Bodhi- sattva. Nirma^a-kaya is the Transformation Body, which is the same as consciousness defiled and indivi¬ dualised as * common people’ (prfhag-jiflna). Later on, this Buddhalogy, cosmology and ontology were all confusedly mixed up,—and we find the three Kayas mentioned more often in their composite sense than either as pure Buddhalogy or as pure ontology,

(F) Predominance or Philosophical Thoughts

Another notable phase of Mahayana Buddhism is the exuberant growth of philosophical thought in it. The sayings of the Master were sought to be brought to their logical and metaphysical conclusions, and there developed distinct systems of plulosophical thoughts with a host of staunch exponents, Tlie most remarkable is the evolution of the import of the word sunyafa. In the old canonical works the term sfinyafa probably implied the momentaiy' or the tran¬ sitory nature of all entities; but the Madhyatntkas built up a new system of uncompromising nihilism through a different interpretation of the word and the Vijnanaviidins again in their turn contradicted the Madhyamikas offering another interpretation of the word.

But we should not lay undue stress on the divisions of schools or sects thus made. It has often been said that these divisions of the yanas are merely provi¬ sional; they may be regarded as being relative and as

Jg TaSTBIC buddhism

havint^ only methodological interest; the /jan^auatara

savs, Thay (the »ina«) are but ^t;

able to diBerent persons ; when the mind returns to it

original abode, there is neitlier the path nor

whl adopts it.‘ Sravaka-yana, Pratyeka^Bnddha-

vana and Bodhisattva-yana have often ^ ^

the different stages in the same school

Sravaka by further endeavour becomes a Pratyeka-

Buddha, and he again by further

Bodhisatlva and the Bodhisattva becomes the Buddha himself.

<iii) Philosophical Sj/stems

Now, after taking this general survey of features of TSIahayana Buddhism let us take a bud s- eyc-view of the philosophical systems of Mahayana, and as the metaphysical fragments, found m the differ¬ ent Tantric literature, are notlung but indistmct echoes of these schools of Mahayana philosophy, we think it proper to go into some detail of these systems of thought. The Buddhist Tantras are based more on the Yogacara school than on the §finyavada,-and the monistic tendency of the Yogacara school has often been consciously and unconsciously drawn to pmc Vedantic thought. It is for this reason that we shall deal with the Yogacara more cSaboratcly and we shall also try' to explain very briefly the philosophical affinity of Yogacara with Vedanta. _

The Bibliotheca Buddhicu PublicatioD* •

Hilien Tsan" writes tlmt when he came to India in the seventh century A.D. there were four schools of Bufldhism, viz., Sautrantifca, Vaihhasika, Madhyamika and Vijnaiiavada or Yogacara, The former two lie- longed to Hinayana and the latter two to Mahayana.* The Vaibhaaikas took their stand on the literaHire and did not accept the authority of the Sutras. They believed in the reality- of the extra- mental world and aecording to them our knowledge of the external world is an exact copy of it and as such it is direct and real. The Sautrantikas based their views on the Sutra literature; they were also realists but like the ^'^ajbhas^kas they did not base the notion of the external existence on the evidence of our direct perception; it is but an inference. The point of dis¬ cussion regarding the status of external objects between the Yogacarins and the Sautrantikas may briefly be stated thus: the Yogacarins contend that the object of iiwarenc.ss and awareness itself are one and the same, i.c., tlie different contents of knowledge as yellow', blue etc. are but diverse forms or transfor¬ mation of knowledge itself; the Sautrantikas hold that it may he admitted that the diverse contents represent the diverse forms of knowledge, or rather the content may be regarded as in some sense identical with the knowledge, if there must be something outside know¬ ledge by the operation of which the diversitv of the forms of knowledge or its contents could be explained or inferred,’ Though the early schools of Buddhism were thus in a sense all realists they did not believe in the substantiality or the permanence of the world,— everj-thing being momentary and as such ultimately void (jStinyn),

Mahayana Buddlnsm has been roughly classed under two heads, fiunyavada, and \'ijhanavada or

TANTHIC BUDDHISM

Yogatara. The distinction between the two schools is not^ however, fundamental, and very often the one verges into the other. Nagarjuna (100 A.D.) was the chief exponent of Sunyavada with its uncomprorafsing spirit of negation. Another earlier current was flow¬ ing on with a spirit of eompromise with the Upanisadic doctrine of monism. Wc find trace of the latter in as early a Jfahayana text as the Lankavatara-sfitra, we find it somewhat systematised in the Tathata doctrine of Asvagliosa* * and it took a definite turn of uncom- promising idealism in the hands of the Vijnanavadins like Maitreya, Asaiiga, VasubhantUiu and others ; and we may add here that this trend of thought attained fulfilment in the Yedantic monism of Sankara, let us iirst of all understand the standpoint of the Sfinya' vadins and then we slmll try to trace the development of the other currents of thought in -some detail.

(A) HLaDHY. 4SIIK.A PHTLOSOPm' OF Nagarjuna

The Madhyamika-vrtti of Nagarjuna, commented upon by Candrakirti, begins with-the declaration that the Madhyamikas have no thesis to prove, their busi¬ ness is to contradict any and every thesis that may be offered by any school of thought. First of all is taken the principle of ' dependent origination ^ (pratifya- samutpada) realised and preached by Lord Buddha Iiimself. The phrase pratitya-samutphda has been interpreted in two different ivays by former commen¬ tators ; * but after refuting both these views Candrakirti holds that the real signiftcam’e of the theory of

• It has been hinted before that taodun scholars arc not sure

about the atilhorship of the work where

we find the TathatSvfida expounded.

• It may either be explained as the origination («afnxfpdda) of

some existence (bhdvo) getting' hold of or obtaining (pmtlfga^pm + V i + lyti=getting) some cause and conditions f Acti/-pratrjfaf/a). Or it may lie explained ns the origination with reference to eacli'aud every destructible individual to go. to ehojigc, i.c., to ht destroyed).

pratltya-Hamutpada is no law about the ultimately real nattii'e of things; it is a mere law about the relation of in ter"dependence among the illusory appearances as things; the law is concerned purely with the provi¬ sional reality fsam wit-sati/a l. These illusory appear¬ ances wliich constitute the realm of our experiences have their origin in a law of inter-relation of depend¬ ence wliich is responsible for the world-process as a whole. The real import of this law of relativity of the Madliyanhkas is indeed very difficult to understand. Ultimately there is no origination neither cessation;— no destructi^bility—no permanence; no reality—^no unreality; no coming—no going; no subjectivity—no objectivity; no knowledgc^no knowable—everjiihing is free from all the disturbances of birth, decrepitude and death. There is neither real origination of the thing by its own nature, nor by otJiers—nor by a com¬ bination of both, — nor by any un-reason;—there is origination nowhere—at no time—and of none, ‘

Things cannot be self-originated; for, self-origina¬ tion implies the existence of the thing before it originates itself. If a thing exists already by itself, there seems to be no sati.sfactory reason, why it should produce itself once more. Moreov^er, if the existent again require self-production, this will involve the fallacy of the vicious infinite. The Sariikhya school,

But Caudraklrti dismj^es bpth the mterpretatioas as

For* * if we aoeept the latter interpretatioiii we caimot esplam ctin-

sistently all the passa^ies of the scriptures where the phrase

occurs* An attempt may be made to solve the diflicutty by explaining the word ^ gettin^^ * as apek^A (dependence or

relativity), and may simply be taken to imply*—

that being there, it happens sati idarh ihatiqft); but here the

exact meaning of each of the component parts, vis.* pmtifirq and immutpadn^ ittoaios unexplained^

• na ifoufo napi pamto fia dvd6fei/a>h |

urpqnRd j&tu vid^jQnt^ bhdv^h kvanana teeana j[

Madkyarmku-v^tL Edition, p. 12.

^ As the^Afddhyamikas had tia thesis to prove* they would never lay any stress on the iiu]K3rtance of fomial logic. It has been held

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

howevej, may say tliat by causality anti the identity of the cause and the effect Uiey never mean that the effect is a new manifestation in a particulai' form a jar); but by causaUty is meant only potentiality. It is said in reply that tlieir argument does not stand to reason; for if by causality is meant the mere poten¬ tiality then the effect is never produced at all, '

The next consideration is about the possibility of the origination of a thing by, or from, anjlhing else. But this position is assailed at once by the argument that the Madhyamikas do not admit any difference in things, and so there cannot be any (other¬

ness) at all* Moreover, the quintessence of a parti¬ cular thing cannot remain in the extraneous cause and conditions. * If the quintessence of an>l]ying could be found in anything else, we might have expected the possibility of darkness from the nature of liglit, and in that case anj’thing might Irave come out of anything else. Neither can it be said that the things are pro¬ duced bj’ a combination of the self and the not-seU; for, the combination of two things cannot possess I he quality which they do never possess separately, and whatever absurdity and incongruity have been pointed out against them separately may as well be pointed out against their combination. Neither is it reasonable to hold tliat things originate without any reason,—for, if there be no reason behind origination, the conception of the world without having any suffi¬ cient reason will seem just like the colour and scent of a lotus growing in the sky. ’ Neither any transcen-

by C^ndrskirti that all the attempts of Bhava-viveka (an earlier cdin- mentatar on KagArjunii) to adduce formal reasons In his favour only bespeaks his own love ol formal Ipgic^ but tlie MudhyamikaA do not require any fonnal logic at all. Moreover, hod there been any reality in the data of our logical concepts, there might have been any ques¬ tion of formal logic at atl| but as all realities are ahsolulely "deniedj there remains no scope and possibility of fomm) logic.

denial iieing like God and others can produce the things,—for, any such being jnust also be Lncluded xvithin the alternatives that have already been discuss¬ ed. Thus the final conclusion arrived at is that there IS nothing like production or origination; the world process is a mere eternal flu;c of successional series. The references to causality found in the scriptures through the mouth of the Lord himself do not refer to the immutable void nature of objects which reveals it¬ self when the darkness of ignorance is removed; on the contrary, it refers to the objects of knowledge of those whose vision is vitiated by the darkness of ignorance. ‘ The scriptimil texts must not be interpreted literally and rigorously, we must try to get at the hidden mean¬ ing aimed at by the master.

The emphasis of Nagarjuna is not only on the non- causality of things, but also on the non-substantial nature of things. Nothing has got any nature (si^a&hduo); for, had it any nature, that nature w*ould remain in it even in the absence of the cause and condi¬ tions {hetu-pratyaya), and that self-sufficient nature would no more require the help of any cause and condi¬ tion for its production. Neither is it correct to say that the nature of a thing does not exist before its pro¬ duction through the collocation of cause and condi¬ tions; for, in that case the nature of a thing would be created by something else; but the nature of a thing no more remains in its owti nature when it loses its independence, — for svabhava implies independence. ’ It may, of course, be argued that if all the dlumnas are without svabhava, words which are included in the totality of dhannas must also be devoid of essence, — and so there cannot even be the proposition that noth¬ ing exists, or that everything is void by nature. The Madhyaniikas will reply, — ‘ Suppose that a fool wrong¬ ly pcrcfeiv^es a mirage as water, and that you argue

TAXTRIC BUDDHISM

22

against that wrong perception. The fact (u/s,, your arguing against the existence of water in the mirage) is just the same as that {viz., our arguing against the essence of the £i?iannas)V But it may further be objected,—" If tliere is neither the perception nor the perceived, and the perceiver also be non-existent, then tliere is neither the refutation, nor the refuted and the refuter also docs not exist.' * The reply is, —^Sujipose that one man created by magic (prevents) another man created by magic or that one iV/ayd- piiru^n (prevents) another Ald|/fl-pKriiSfl (from doing something). The relation (lit. the meaning) of the refutation and the refuted is just like this.’

The $u 7 iya*d-doetrine of Nagarjuna may seem in¬ compatible with the doctrine of nfrunTirt. If everjdhing be void and there be neither origination nor destruc¬ tion, then by the destruction or arrest of what should we attain inVudna?* The reply of Nagarjuna is that niTvarta is not something whieh is to be attained through the destruction or the arrest of anything what¬ soever ; it is but the complete cessation of all mental constructions. It has been described as the destruc¬ tion of nothing,—the attainment of nothing,—it is neither annihilation, nor eternally existent it is neither the arrested, nor the produced—this is the definition of nirvana . ' Nothing is existent,—nothing is non-existent ; so the question of annihilation or sup¬ pression does not arise at all. It is not the negation of any existence,—it is but the cessation of all notions

• of NSgaiiuim, translated from ibe ChinHe

and Tibetan Texts by Tticci {G.O.S., Vol. XLIX, Verse No. xiii).

• npra^ljiaiR n*flniprapt«'rt (invcchmuom ttiMvatam \

ontniddhfim antifpafiwdPii cf«n niroavam ueifnte || f

J&id., p. 521,

PHILOSOPITTCAL SYSTEStS

23

of existence and non-existence. ' All consciousneas vanishes in nfruaiin like a lamp extinguished. Nirvana is no Ens, neither non-Ens, it is like a knot entivined by the empty space (afeaia) and untied again by that same empty space. ’

As we have said, the exact position of Nagarjuna is verj" difiScuIt to understand j but it seems clear that his emphasis is more on negation, whereas the empha¬ sis of the Vijnanavadins is on the existence of some transc'endental absolute reality in the form of the

• thatness^ (tatfiafd) of all entities or as pure con¬

sciousness. The Lankavafdm-niitru which is taken by scholars to be one of the early texts of Vijnanavada says that anutpdda (uncreate) and s^unya (void) mean essencelessness of all that appear; but the reality re¬ mains as mere consciousness (citta-nidtra-vyavasth.d- nam) transcending all duality (duapa-bhat^o) of sub¬ jectivity and objectivity/

(B) The Tathata-vIda Of Asvaghosa

The ‘ Tatliata ’ doctrine of Asvaghosa (? 80 A.D.) begins with a denial of the world of phenomena in both its subjective and objective aspects, but with an affirmation of an ultimate and absolute reality wliich is the uncreate, eternal and immutable cosmic principle underlying the diversity of the universe as a wdiote. Two aspects of this reality may be distinguished,—the aspect of pure ' thatness ’ or * suchness * (bhuto-faf/iafa) and the aspect of the eycle of birth and death (sam- sdra)/ each being inseparably connected with the other.

TA.NTEIC BUDDHISM

The * thalfiess ’ is *the oneness of

the totality of things (fj/hnnnn'ffhotti)» the great all¬ ineluding whole, the quintessence of the Doctrine In the essence of the ‘ thatness ^ there is nothing to he ex¬ cluded, nothing to he added—it has neither beginning nor end—it cannot be ex})ressed by words and expres¬ sions which are but the representations of the empirical concepts,—its very nature is unspeakable and inexplicable,—^it can only be indicated somehow as * thatness ^

The external world, which appears under the particularised forms of individuation, is nothing but a creation of the mind with its inherited categories (sTUft/), which are the mere products of ignorance. The production of the objective world through the distur¬ bance of smrti* in the all-conserving mind (fi/ayo- rf/udna) * may be illustrated by the simile of the water and the waves. Here the water can be said to be iden¬ tical (in one sense) with the waves. The waves are stirred up by the wind, but the water remains the same. When the wind ceases, the motion of the waves subsides; but the water remains the same. Likewise when the mind of all creatures, which in its own nature is pure and clear, is stirred up by the wind of Ignor¬ ance (nuidr^d), the waves of mentality (ni/adiia) make their appearance V So the external world, ^vilh all its variety and complexity, has no real existence and as such the fundamental nature of things is neither namable nor explicable. Tilings have no signs of dis¬ tinction, they possess absolute sameness (samotd).

' Wblil the ivort] .Smrff stgnifles in this context is not exactly knofwn. Suzuki tnkes it to be the ‘ confused subjectivity (See, Tht .'Itcokrainf of Pitith in /ftofdPliT^rn, p, 5(t, f.n. No. l)j

hut Dt. S. N, Diii^^pta suggests it lo be used In the sense of Fdsafia (See, .4 Hintorti Indian Phitoiophy, Vol. T, p. IfMl. f.n. No. I). This word however also remmds us of the ‘confused ideas* nf Spinoza.

• .\s'vaghosn’s 4mifrrning nf Fnilh. Suzuki’s trnnslAtioii, BT-ft.

Tliey are subject neither to transformation, nor to des¬ truction. They are nothing but the one soul, for whicii

• siichness^ is another designation. But hoiv can all

beings conform to and have an insight into suchness? The answer is,-—‘ As soon as you understand that when the totality of existence is spoken of, or thought of, there is neither that which speaks, nor that whLcIi is spoken of, tliere is neither that which thinks nor that wliich is timught of; then j'ou conform to suchness; and when your subjectivity is thus completely obliterated, it is said to- have the insight

This ‘ suchness ’ of things may be viewed under two aspects, negative and positive. On its negative side (suni/afa) it asserts the complete negation of all the attributes of all tilings; in its metaphysical origin it has nothing to do with things defiled, which are conditional or relative by nature,—^it is free from all signs of dis¬ tinction existing among phenomenal objects,—it is independent of unreal, particularising consciousness. The suchness is ' neither that which is existence, nor that which is non-existence, nor that which is at once existence and non-existence, nor that which is not at once existence and non-existence; it is neither that which is unity, nor that which is plurality, nor that which is at once unity and plurality, nor that which is not at once unity and plurality. In a word, as such¬ ness cannot l)e comprehended by the particularising consciousness of ail beings, we call it the negation The ‘tathata' is suni/n (void) for two reasons,—iirstly, there is no content in it, it being the oneness of the totality of things; secondly, there is neitlicr any subject to comprehend it; so that its nature involves the denial of both the subjeot and tlie object; there is neither that which is negated, nor that which negates—both being absorbed in the nature of the ‘ tatliata \

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

But this ‘ tathata * may also be viewed as some¬ thing positive (asunyafo) in the sense that it contains infinite merits, that it is self-existent; in it we perceive the pure soul manifestiiig itself as eternal, permanent, immutable and completely comprising ail things that are pure. By the non-void nature of the ‘tathata* should never be meant any sort of affirmation on it,—• we can have only a glimpse of the truth by transcend¬ ing our subjective categories.

As for samsara, it evolves forth as the law of causa¬ tion from the womb of the tathagata {iathagata- gathha). When the absolute reality assumes a relative aspect by its self-aifimmtion, it is called the all- conserving nund or the receptacle mind (afa^a- vijndna). From the receptacle or all-conserving mind evolves through the infltience of non-enlightenment an ego principle, ‘In the all-conserving mind ignorance obtains; and from non-enlightenment starts that which sees, that which represents, that which apprehends an objecti%'e world, and that which constantly parti¬ cularises/ Thus the phenomenal world, established only through ignorance and the root-instincts uasana) has no more reality than the images in a mirror -^all modes of particularisation being the self-parti- cnlarisation of the mind. But by the belief in the existence of the external world the mind becomes obli¬ vious of the principle of sameness (samafd) that tmder- lies all things. The ctuintcssence of all things is one and the same, perfectly calm and tranquil, and shows no sign of becoming; ignorance, however, is in its blindness and delusion oblivious of enlightenment and on that account cannot recognise truthfully all those condi¬ tions, differences and activltie.s which characterise the phenomena of tile universe. The annihilation of ignorance is, therefore, the oniy way of liberation from the cycle of birth and death. But it should also be re¬ membered that the mere eradication of ignorance is not sufficient to guarantee liberation, for,long as

t'HTLOSOPHlCAL SYSTEMS

27

there will remsiin a n»i»d, ignorance may recur at any time; so the total extinction of mind is the safest course for attaining eternal liberation,

(A) ViJKAX.iVADA Ofi YoGACARA After this ' Tathata * doctrine of Asvaghosa, the conception of the Abhuta-pankalpa as found in the Madhyanta-vibhaga, said to be originally expounded by -Maitreya and commented upon by Vasubandhu and Stliiramati, gives a more positive and precise concep¬ tion of the ultimate reality. It begins with the aphorism, — ^‘The Abfiaffl-parftafpo exists, no dualilj^ exists in it; void exists in it and it also exists in tiie void-'‘ Tills apliohsm is a challenge to both the extreme Realists (i.e., the Sarvasti-vadins) and to the extreme Nihilists {i.e., the Madhyamikas), * and the thesis of the AhhutO'paWA'alpa is something like a middle path between the two extremes. The word Abhuta-^arikalpa literally means — that which is devoid of all ' constructs ’ — j,e., the substratum where there is the mere possibility of ail subjectivity and objectivity, —but in which the duality has no reality,^

The aphorism may be interpreted, in the fii'st instance, as a refutation of the extreme sceptic view of the Madhyamikas. Tliey (i.e., the Madhyamikas)

^ athulo-ponftaJjfoVli tfi'aj/cnn t«lra no vidyate I aiinyata vidyate fv atra Ustjam upi sa vidyate |,

.VodAjfarini-cifcAiSga-fifca, Levi’s Eclitioa, p. 10,

’An impartial scrutiny into the nature of the Sunyata of the Madhynmitos reveals I he fact that the dunyatft of the Madhyamikas may not be taken in the extreme nihilistic sense in which it has been taken bv the Vijoanavudins and the Vcdinlins; but as I he Vijaaiia- vadins have always taktn this sunyata of the MMhyanukas in the extreme luhilistic sense, we shall also admit this interpretation ouly to understand the exact standpoint of the Vijhanavhdins.

’ Cuntpaie here the JellniUoii of as found in

the .l/ahdj^flna-mtT'ufaHftdra of Asanga,—

ufrhnfn-knfpo na bfiftto ndhhuto’ kitlpa evn cn| jjn fcnipo julpi cdkatpah soruani /firyflin m'rucyofe H

th. XI, Verse 31. (Livi's Edition).

28 tXktbic buddhism

hold that all the elements are non-essential or unreal (nih-St-'ahJidua) like the pair of horns of the hare* Against them it is said that all the riharmos are not void (sixjtifn) in the sense that nothing exists at all, but in the sense that in the ultimate reality as Ablxixla- parifcalpa there is no duality of subjectivity and objec¬ tivity, Suiiyata is the absence of the knower and the knowable (frflhjfn-grd/iat'a-raliiiafa), but it never im¬ plies absolute negation (ndsfifva). So sunyafa exists in the Abkuta-])arikalpa as the absence of the perceiver and the perceived. Hut even though this non-dual sil/fyafa is already there in the Ahhixfn- paHkalpa, we are not at once liberated because of the fact that in gunyata, which is of the nature of perfect purity, also exists the Abhafa-poriA-flipa with the dor¬ mant seeds of the subjective-objeetii^e world.

The same argument can also lie directed against the extreme Realists who believe in the reality of the extra-mental objects (dravya). The objects do not exist as extra-mental realities, they are real in the form of the Abkuta-parikalpa, which is a mere transcen¬ dental existence (bhduo-TndtTft), We cannot think of any reality which is outside our mind, and our men¬ tation arises without reference to any object as in the dream; our mind (uf/ndna) projects itself as an imiige o£ the objective reality (arfAd-bhdsfi) as the fruition {uipdka) of the seeds of the root-instincts (udsnnd). But it may be argued that if the objective world is totally denied, there remains nothing as the support of our purity (i?8^adddytifanibaaii) and, therefore, there remains no possibility of liberation. The reply is that jsiinyfltd in the form of the absence of all subjectivity and objectivity remains there as the support of our final purification. But like the purity of the sky this Bunyata also is not easily realisable because of its con¬ nection W'ith the Ahfiaffl-porifcflfpfl whicli contains in it the ultiinate seeds of the illusoiy^ mental and material world (c/, the klesd-vara^a and the jneyd-varma).

i

PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEMS

2§

Some are of opinion that both subjectivity and objecti\nty are absolutely cbimerical as the possibility of the son of a barren woman. Others, on the other hand, think that the negation of the dharnias implies only the negation of a soul*substance to regulate the in¬ ternal affairs (autar-t'i/cpora-pwrMsa-raJtifflffl), but the dltarmfls have their esttra-iuental reality. To repudiate the denial of the universal absolute on the one hand and to deny the substantiality of the external things on the other, it is said that in the Abhuta-parikalpa is eon- tuined the siirtpato in the sense of the denial of all duality and the reality of the appearances.'

The world of subjectivity and objectivity is being produced by our constructive imagination (uifcaipaj just like the magically evoked phantom of beasts.* The word AbhUta implies that the images of tilings, as they are constructed by oiir i magi nation, do not exist in these very forms, and the word paTikalpa implies that they have not the reality they are supposed to have.* But tiiough this phenomenal world of sub-

I From the moral standpoint the aphorism may be said to be introduced only to examine the double paturc of the reality as impure, or phenomenal and pure absolute (vj/ovaAluu). The im*

pure phenomenal reality is a merely illusory rcpresL-ntatitm of the /l&fiuta-naritfllpa,—which may, therefore, be said to he a tromM- dentul illusion. But the iunj/ofa exists in it as the absolute punfymg force counter-acting the corrupting forces of impure illusion; but this perfect purity is to be sought from the impure illusory phenomenal reality itself,—there is no ejUBtcntial difference between the puwty and Ibe impurityand it U therefore said , — ‘ in her also exists it , .\a the principle of perfect purity is there, the defiling prmciple of phcnomenalisatiou is also there} and hetiM the necessity for moral efforts. .l/didhyaMfa'Vib/iagu-tlfcd- J^evi’s Edition, p. l».

• n. Piter rftai/qm niJafirfotn I

tatra yatha rifi’sfi Jvaffam caiuo’fwfobliyftfe |l

th, XI, Verse 25.

• “nbhii(a"-vacon<'HO fu parikalpuatt -;Tahtta~sr<tha-

katvena tathS nu'stT'fi' pmefursaynti I

'<purjfaifpn”-i’ii™afno fti arffio yniha parikatpijnte fnlhoMlm flu vidpftfr ifi pmdsTTsaj/ati |

4f a d by (in f n-t'ib h 3.

taktric btjbdhism

aa

jectivity and objectivity is illusory, the Abhuia- parikalpa is not also chimerical. As the rope is void (iunya) in the form of the snake, but not as the rope, in the same way things are illusory and non-existent in their subjective and objective nature, but not also in the Abhuta-parikaipa nature. The correct description of sunyatd is that the thing, which is devoid of some¬ thing, exists but the thing, of which it is devoid, does not exist, Tlic nature of the iunyata is to be realised as both non-affirmation (a/iadlii/d-ropa) as welt as non- negatioji (anapatidda). It is non-affirmation in the sense of the denial of the duality and non-denial in the sense of the affirmation of the non-dual (aduaj/a).

The obj'ectless consciousness manifests itself os reflected awareness in the form of the object and tlie subject and that which sticks to them; in absence of this (the awareness) those the images) are also non¬ existent, ‘ The ^bhafc-pariAalpa in its specific nature ($ua-ZaA^ana) is of the nature of awareness. All mentations arise out of the subliminal mind store, or the all-cojiserving mind under the influence of co¬ operating forces which bring their germs to maturity and the difference which is produced in the subliminal mind store in accordance with the influence of moral, immoral or non-moral deeds, is responsible for the manifold phenomenal individual existences in all the spheres of life. Although our consciousness does not contain a real plm'ality of different objects, it has the capacity of producing manifold ideas. Each is produced from its own germ in accordance with the law of our experiential series.*

The absolute nature of the dh/iufn-parit'a/pa, how¬ ever, cannot be known through the ordinary mind, for it involves the paradox of proving the fact of insanity

• artha-suttvaifna-vij^upti-pratfbbQmm prajayaU \

vijaHuofU cfl^9yd^fihajt tnd ^bMvai tad uptja^ai |j

Ibid,, p*. 16 ,

= Com,* p. hi.

PHJLOSOPHrCAI* SySTElilS

31

to the insane. Its nature can only be intuited by transcending all subjectivity and objectivity^nd this transcending the duality is perfect extinction. The law of Karma is strictly observed here; and a future birth always results as the fruition of the activities of the former life which remain recorded in tlie form of vdsana and samsMra. But a saint, who has intuited the absolute truth, is not affected thereby and is free from the projecting rebirth. The realisation of the sunj/afa-nature of tilings is the only way to perfect purity, and this reality realised in tlie is

synonymoQs with the "thatness* (tatkata) of things, the totality of things (bkuta-kotij!^ the uncaused (animitCa), the highest truth (parauiurthfttd) and the ultimate element of things (d/ianna-dhd,tu).

The Abhuta-parikalpa has often been described in the yiadhydnta-vibhdga-pkd as pure consciousness, but this nature of tlie ultimate reality as pure conscious¬ ness has not sufficiently been emphasised. This em¬ phasis is to be found in the Viplapti-mdtratd-siddhi of Acarya Vasubandhu, which begins with the proposition that all the three elements are at bottom pure consci¬ ousness—^and all the phenomena are as much unreal as the illusion of hair and moons to a person with defective eyes. But how then to explain the spatio-temporal laws, the law of the experiential series, and the laws of duties? The reply is that all the laws arc formed as in dream. For, even in di'eain we perceive something specific in some particular space and time without there being any real object of experience. The universaUty of experiential series is also to be taken as in the case of the ghosts (pretas); they all see in hell rivers full of pus though there is actually nothing there. The laws of duties are like the night-discharges which happen without there being any real activity.

The question here may be,—if all forms (rapa) and fields of experiences (dpafana) be nothing but pure consciousness, how is it that the Lord himself spoke of

32

TAXTRIC BUDDHISM

them ? The reply is that the Lord spoke of them only to teach the lay disciples of low intellectual calibre— but in speaking of them he had an ultimate intention (abhipraya). In reality the rbpas and ayataum are nothing but the manifestation of the dormant seeds in consciousness (nijnaptO, These instructions of the Lord were ultimately intended for making the disciples realise the non-entity of the self (purfgafa-nairdtm'j/a) and the non-entity also of the things (dharnux- nairdtmj/a). But by this non-entity is not meant any niliilismj non-entity is spoken only of the nature of things as the perceiver and the perceived {grahya- grahakab but not of the nature of things as intuited by the perfectly enlightened ones.

As for our perceptions which are generally taken to be the best evidence for the existence and non¬ existence of things, it may be said that they are mental constructions as in the dream. In dream there is neither the real object nor the senses to perceive them, yet there is the perception; so also is the ease with all our perceptions which we falsely take to be the direct copies of the thing itself. It may, however, be argued that our dream-perceptions presuppose the memory of the real perception; but the reply is that our memory itself, instead of being the representation of the per¬ ception of tJie real object, may as well be a mere modi¬ fication of consciousness. Again, it may be objected, that if perception of our conscious life be as false as that of our dreams, how is it that we ourselves arc not conscious of this illusory nature of our perceptions in the same way as we ourselves are conscious of the falsity of our dream-perception. Tlie reply is that as a man cannot be conscious of tiie falsity of his dream- experiences unless he awakes from his sleep, so also people, who are engrossed in the sleep of false imagina¬ tions, habits and the mental complexes (ud»«nd), can¬ not realise the illusory nature of their experiences un¬ less they open their eyes in the flash of enlightenment.

33

PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEMS

Our ignorance is the ultimate support of our uoMnas and the in their turn are responsible for the

imagination of the subjective and the objective world, —and this subjectivity produces our moral hindrances through the veil of passions and attachment (klesa- varana), and objectivity produces the veil of the know- able (jileyd^^atana) : by tearing off this veil of passion we attain omniscience and by removing the \^il of the knowable we attain liberation. The reality is both the absence of the notion of ego (pmfgala-naiVatmj^a) and of ^ the notion of all things (d/?orma'najratmya)— it is only pure consciousness (uijiiapfi-mflfmfa). *

The transformation of consciousness {vijiionc- parinarna) has three stages, viz,, (i) fruition (vipdka) of the root-instincts (udsfina), (ii) mentation (manana) and (iii) objects of awareness (vijilapfi- yisaya). Through the fruition of the inherent root- iBstincts there follow the waves of mentation which are responsible for the appearance of the objective world. The JJaya-vijnana, from whicli follow all subjectivity and objectivity, is but a transformation of the eternal root-instincts which lie in the consciousness as dormant seeds. The Jlaya-vijnana literally means the abode or support (alaya) of all mentation (id/iidna). It has been explained both as the receptacle where everything is connected as effect, and as the priwro causd in things,’ But if besides the world of our active

’ Some, of connr, may hold that if there he no soul-substance ns the iiUimafe reality, there cannot be any attribution (tipirSm) of quiilities. In reply the Vijnanavfidins ar^e that the view that the objective world is an attribution of the soul-substance cannot be accepted on any logical ground. ^loreover, the quintessence of any such soul-substance can neither be known nor be spoken of; and we cannot establish the truth of any reality which is neither know, able nor spe.^kable. _Whflt we know and'speak of is the world of our constructive ttnagination which has its origin in pore eonsdousoess,

’ ntha vaJiifante up/iutbadhyanti'’ srnn'n san’o-d'Anrmflh karr/nl bhaiTrtff I

yad va Hyatf, uptitiihndhtjatc Afurufio.hftrivino sonWhamesv ity alayak ||

ri/tinpfi-matmta-jiffrfAi, com, on the Triifiitkd,

' L^vS'b Kdttiuu. p. 78,

O.P, 105—5

34

tantric buddhism

consciousness (praurtti-ui/ndna) there be an ali-con- serving mind (iJfni/rt-i'ijfidna) il must have a form , the reply is that the is of the form of an

illimitable support <apanccftmiidlambaitd-fcdrfl>—vve only see it manifested as the internal categories and the external categories; but nature of these categories cannot be determined. In the Jlaj/a-widdno there remain, in form of the root-instincts (uasand), the potencies of both the ego with the internal categories and the external world of objects; and these potencies project themselves as the fruition of the rool-instincls as subjectivity and objectivity in an inherent law of deep harmony. But why should we admit the reality of any such transcendental support of the subjective and objective world when we cannot determine the nature of their potencies in their original abode (dinya)? Because, all schools of thought will agree that even when the subjectrie and objective world is not (as in the state of deep sleep), the existence of the consciousness cannot be denied. This ^laya-yijmna h no eternal and unchanging principle—it is like an un¬ ceasing flow of water which glides on and on through the evolution of cause and effect.

Thus it is dear that anything and everything that is imagined to be existent, does not exist by itself as any real entity; cverj^hing is but the transfomiatipn of consciousnes-V and it is the original seed of all, as it possesses the potency of producing tliem all.* * All these imaginations, which are all conditional {pratyayo-

C/. Alio :—tfiTVir dhansfl* iatra fjhitla-bhflt'rntt

tftc Cfl fPfM I

Levi’s Ltlitioii. p- S2.

‘ vijtiAna-pannfttno’f^BriJ u/llffih'" |

tena fun nn’sfi ffreMnm nmtifirn fn;nuprt-rKarraIrnni ||

Jbid., Verse ir.

• hilrti JWinv-bl/ain.

JbitL, p; 96.

PiliLOSOPHlCAL SYSTEMS

35

are relative in nature (paraiaHtrc^siJflbJiflva)} ill tlie absolute state (partnif^oUi) there^is neither the subject t^rdhaiva) nor the object {grdhyaj, —it is like the pure sky above. The nature of the dharwias inay thus be described in three ways; as the product of constructive miagiualion (parikalpittt)i as relative or conditional (paratfliitro) and as absolute (pariwis- panno). ‘ Now, parikalpoHu being the product of imagination cannot constitute the real nature of things; in jjuratantra things have only dependent nature, which cannot be real; but in the absolute nature things arc neither ens nor non-ens i this absolute nature can only be somehow indicated as the ‘ that ness * {talhatd) of things, and this Uliatness’ of things is nothing but pure consciousness. When our psychosis ilius gets rid of subjectivity as well as objectivity and remains steady in pure consciousness, the highest knowledge is produced wliich is supra-mental, uncog- iiisible and transcendental; it is the involution of the Aiaya-vijndna through the eradication of the two veils (of passion and ignorance) ; that is the immutable element whicli is beyond the reach of all mentation ; — * it is all-good, permanent, perfect faliss—of the form of hberation'—it is the substance itself. ^

(D) iVrrnfiTV With Vedakta

The metaphysical dialectics of the Sunyavadin and the Vijilanavadin Buddhists prepared the ground for the monistic conception of the ultimate reality of the Veduntins. Tlie task of destroying the older doctrines was undertaken and very ably done by the Buddhists,

^ Cf. also

Ch. XI, Verses ae-U.

’ jriu«ofli ioltP-lloraBcp fat 1

turaj/ufryu pamurKtr ifvi4lhJi itauftujuti-hQnitafy H jru eud’fltianitJa rffiafai' at'iJilyafi dhmvah I

sutcho vimukti-kayo’imu dhafm&khyo'y(t7h inaAanutnah |i

V'enura !i!f- 3 e.

36

taNtbic buddhism

i

but the work of building' up the edifice of a construc¬ tive system was left for the Vedantins to undertake. Nagarjuna, as we have already seen, frankly confessed that he had no thesis to prove, his onh' business was to contradict others. The Vijnanavadins, however, were not imcompromisiug negativists, but their posi¬ tive standpoint is also not very clear and firm ; it was left for Acarya Sankara to draw the logical conclusions froni the data supplied by the Buddhists. The exact position of Nagarjima is rather difiicult to understand. His opponents, viz,, the Vijfianavadins and the Vedaiit- ins have always criticised his .*§unyavada as pure nihil¬ ism ; but his ^nyatd also admits the interpretation of an absolute transcendeuta] reality always escaping the grasp of inteneetual comprehension and verbal exposi¬ tion,—arurl in this way it may be said to have assimil¬ ated the Brahman of the Upanisads and anticipated the Brahman of the Vcdantins. The general attitude of Buddha and the Buddliists towards the ontological problem does not seem to be any clear-cut negation, —but a policy of silence ; and this attitude of silence towards the ontological problem is no freak in the evolution of Indian religious thought. The Upanisads and the Advaita Vedanta of Sankara also took the same device of silence as to the nature of the realisation of the Brahman. The same attitude has often been taken by the European Sceptics and the Agnostics. As PrO’ fessor Stclierbatsky puts it,—‘ In many systems, ancient and modern, eastern and western, the reality in itself, the pith of reality is declared to be sojnetliing incognisable. It is, therefore, quite natural to find in the Sutra literature, where the style popular dis¬ courses is adopted, the device of impressing upon the audience the mystic character of the Absolute bv silence. The Mahayaua-sutras do not tarry in diarac- lerising it as “ unspeakable", “undefinable” etc.'

^ Th€ Conci'ptivf} cf Buddhist p. 22,

philosophical systems

37

Ill the chapter on the nature of Nirvana in the Madhyamika-vTtti of Nagarjuna, we find the nature of things (d/mrmos) deseribed as; —

uvdco^naksatah sarva-sunyafy sunfddinimicifa/t. ‘

All the dharm&s are unspeakable, unchanging, all- void, quiescent and pui'e* Nagarjuna himself has else- wliere admitted that the reality is neither void nor non- void, hut it is called void only with the purpose of indicating it somehow. It is not absolutely impossible to infer ' something ’ out of this ‘ nothing * of the Siinj'a- vadins. The TatJialavada of Asvaghosa also admits the Tathata-nature of things to be something substan- tial, perniancut and unchanging, it is also something positive. The Yogacara-school’s conception of the reality as the or as pure conscious¬

ness (T?ijnaptt-mdtrfl) di'ives us very near to the Vedan- Ue conception of the ultimate reality as the Nirgaiia (qualitiless) Braimian who transcends all knowledge, knower and the knowable. It has always been vehe¬ mently argued by the Vijfianavadins that sunyatd was never spoken of by tlie Lord as pure nothing; while it is the negation of all duality, it implies af the same time the reality of the Abkuta-parikalpa, which is pure consciousness—-unciiaagiiig, unthinkable, all-good, eter¬ nal, all bliss, the ultimate element of the nature of salvation. Again in the doeetic conception of the Tri- kaya in the Mahayana system the Dharma- kaya or the body of tlie cosmic unity, or the organised totality of things, though not as a purely philosophical concept, but as an object of religious consciousness, seems to be just the same as that of the idea of the Nirguna Brahman of the Upanisads.

So it seems that as time was passing on, Buddhist philosophy began to come more and more in contact with the Upanisatlic literature and through its influence began to be more anti more positive regarding the onto¬ logical problem,—and we are not quite sure if we

' Minlkyntnika-i'^ti, Edition, p, sao.

38 TAKTRIC BXT>DinSM

shaU be far 6ff from the truth if u'e assert tliat the Advaita-ved^ta of iSahkara wth its colourless Brah¬ man contradicting all tlic empirical realities is in its turn the <!ulmination of the evolution of the Upanisa- die Buddhistic thought. Professor Kadhakrishnan has gone so far as to say that * Buddhism is only a later phase of the general movement of thought of which the Upanisacis were the earlier, * ' He also quotes the authority of Professor Max Muller, who says that

• Many of the doctrines of the Upanisatls are no doubt

pure Buddhism, or rather Buddhism is on many points the consistent carrying out of the principle laid do\Tii in the Upanisads. ’ ’ We may further add to it that the revival of the Brahminie thought agam m its turn had its stand -on the systems of Buddhistic thought. Gaudapada Nourished after the advent of all the great exp<inents of Buddhism and ‘there h sutficlcnt evi¬ dence in his kan'fcd for thinking that he was possibly himself a Buddhist, and he considered that tlic teach¬ ings of the Upanisads tallied with those of Buddha. * * It has also been justly pointed out that at the beginning of the fourth chapter of his karika on the jlfdiiduJtj/o-paiw'sad Gaudapa adores Buddha with much reverence,*

Gaudapada has expounded all his views in a com¬ mentary on the Mdndukyo-ptmisad, He admits the ultimate reality to be a soul-reality, but this soul- reality (dtmau) in its last or the highest stage is neillier the internal cognitive processes, nor the external knowledge, nor is it the knowledge of the

• /nrlkn PhiJiJiidpiiilf, Vol. I, p- -tTD,

» Ibid., p. +T0.

' A fliiloru of Puhun FftfitPSOpAy—Ijy Df. S. N. Djisguptrt,

Vo). 1, ji. -123.

TfiifUa-tihiPinCHii lawi bflnJe- JuipodiSrii vnram h

^ Gau^apiidu’s Comm, on

Atiimd&srfttna-fiTuntliAvall sfrie#,

p. 146.

philosophical systems

8®

both; neither is it awareness, nor the mere con- lentiess consciousness; it is neither conscious nor unconscious. It is unseen, unrelationable, ungraspable, indefinable, unthinkable, unspeakable, the essence as oneness with the self, the extinction of all phenomenali- sation, the quiescent, the good, it is the one.' The omniscient wise in the final stage knows neither himself nor others,—he knows neither the real—nor the unreal, —he knows nothing at all. * Tl^e phenomenal world is like a creation in dream ; it never existed in tlie begin- will never exist at the end,—^it cannot exist in the present. All tiie unreals are seeming to be real. The world of differences, the plurality of the se}ve.SH-all are as much unreal as the imagination of the rope as a snake in the dark night. In the deepest intuition all the differences of forms and selves vanish and what remains is one Brahman.

From an impartial examination of these general \dews of Gaudapada we may say that his metaphysical position is not something essentially different from the standpoint of the Vogacarins.

What was out-lined by Gaudapada in his Karika attainetl its full development in the hand of his worthy successor Acarya Sankara, Although in the coui-se of his commentarj' on the B'rahT7ia-8wfras, he has often quarrelled with the Buddhists, yet we may say that the net result achieved is but a rehabilitation of the Upanisadic spirit in and through the metaphysical arguments of the different schools of Buddhism.

The literature of this period, breathes in general the same philosophical spirit as is found in the Vedanta anft the Yogacara Buddhism. In the Fogaijosistfia we often find an echo of the Buddhist idealists in holding

' na IwiMh-pm/iiiiiii prajtiatn 1

aijrdOim avf)(ii,'<ihar!(<iin ngrfl^yctm

avyitpadeSyam ek&tn»i^pratijaya'ii&raiit fr(i|»a Hra^paSamain iantam iwam advftitarn |]

IN'J., [>■ Ml.

= /birf., p. VcTbC 12.

^ TANTRIC BUDDHISM

« 

the external world of diversity to be merely a construe- tion of mind.' It has often been held’in univocal language that the notion of tlie ego is purely an illusion, and the illusion of the world is but an evolu¬ tion of the consciousness icid-vivarta), and the original ca^e of this illusion and evolution is ignorance {avidyd} and tile cessation of it is the real liberation. Neither the ego (aham) nor the non-ego (anaham) is real,—both of them are illusioD-s based on our ignorance* *

i !tf., Vo), n. VtlarArddhnm

Ch. VI, p. 12.

CHAPTER II

Vmystematised Philosophical Fragments Found In

The Buddhht T^ntraH

Fra^mcnfi of Mahayanic philosophical ideas lie scattered in the Biiddlnst Tantras sometimes as specu¬ lations on the nature of the truth and mainly in the context of the ceremonies and secret Yogic practices. In adopting Mahayana Buddhism and the cognate monistic thought the Buddhist Taniras show little power of assimilation and systematisation. The loose speculations show a marked mixture of ideas, and the concepts are freely used more often in their traditional vagueness than in their precise philosophical connota¬ tion. The study of these philosophical fragments has no vali^ by itself, for, as we have said, they say nothing new. The really important and interesting study will be the study of the histon^ of the transformation of these philosophical ideas into esoteric theology and doctrines and their association with the esoteric prac¬ tices with which the Tantras in genera] abound. Never- thel^s, we are giving beteiv some specimen of philo¬ sophical discussions from some of the representative Buddhist Tantras just to give the reader an idea as to how they occur in these texts.

The TfltttJn-rflfnoualt ’ of Pandit Advayavajra (popularly known as Avadhutipa) sub-divides the Vogacarins into (t) the jS^d^arauiidms and (ii) the NhakdravadJns, and the Madhyamika school also is sulMliv’ided into (i) the Mayo-pattid-dvapa-vada and (ii) Sarua-dknnnd-pratisthdna-vdda, It affiliates both the Sravaka-yaiia and the Pratyeka-Biiddha-vana to the Vaibhasika school ; tfxe Sautrantika, Yogac^ra and the Madliyamika sc-hools are alt said to belong to MaJia-

O.P. 105—e

42

TANTBTC Bt^DD^tlS^r

yaita. The Mahayuna school has been further divided here into (i) the Pammifanat/a (ineluding theSauLran- tika, Yogacara and the Madhyainika schools) and (ii) Mantranaya; the nature of the latter is left unexplain¬ ed because of its profound and subtle character. ‘ There is an attempt in the text at expiaining the character¬ istic features of the sub-schools ; but the whole account given here is extremely confused and the views of Sankara and Bhaskara have been presented incidentally in a rather perverted-and confused way.

In the Tattva-prakaSa (of the same author) we find a preference for the Madhyamika thought to the Yogacara. Though the Yogacarins hold the world to be as unreal as the perception of the locks of hair in space by a man with retinal defects, yet they speak of the reality of Vijnana ; but even in this theoty^ of Vijn^a there remains scope for confusion. The Madhyamika school, on the other hand, transcends all the four possible logical aUernatives leaving no further scope for confusion. *

In the (of the same author

and collected in the Advaya-vajta-samifTaha) also there is a preference for the Madhyamika faith. It is said that consciousness cannot have existence for the past, present and the future,—and therefore the absolute essencelessness even of consciousness iias been spoken of by tlie Lord. “ The origination of the dharmas is in¬ comprehensible and therefore it is called simyata. In the y-uganaddha-praAiflia (in the same collection) it has been said that anything that manifests itself should be known to be in its nature pure knowledge without anj' change or corruption,—for, in the ultimate nature everjiJung is mnya which is pure knowledge. As fire belongs neither to that against which anything is rub¬ bed, nor to the cliurning rod, nor to the hands of the

■ Advn^rt-vajm-mmgTaha^ TntivQ-mtniivah, p* ^1* ’ Ibtd^t pr 40, Verse 7.

' Ibid^^ p, Ver^e 0,

t

I

i

unsystematised philosophical ehacments 43

operator,—but it is produced with reference to all these factors, so also in the case with all origination*' Tims, because of tJiis dependent origination, all the dharnuis are non-essential and illusory like the magic. Because of the non-essential character there is the non-produc¬ tion of the dharmas and because of the cause and con¬ ditions there is also the iion-destructibiUty of the dhar-

was ; so there is neither existence nor non-existence,_

existence and non-existence always appear in perfect union. * The same non-essential nature of the world has been spoken of in the Mahayana-vimsika. *

The Prajnoiydya-viniscaya-siddhi of Anahga-vajra begins like the Madhyanta-vibhaga-tika with tiie asser¬ tion that all existence comes from the absolute wlierein there is no imaginary construction of existence, '—and from this false mental construction come all the pangs of sufferings. False notions give rise to the cycle of birth and death which is at the bottom of all miseries. So long as tliere is Uiis false mental construction none can do any good either to himself or to others. So, to attain perfect bliss either for the self or for the three ^vorlds, the wise must first of all do away with tliis notion of existence. But the author warns that after destroy- ing the notion of existence one .should not go to the opposite extreme of adopting the niJulistie view. It is better to have the imagination of existence {bhuva- kalpana) than that of non-existence (ahMoo-ka/pflna); for, the burning lamp can be extinguished; but if It be not burning at all how can it be extinguished? ' If there be the notion of bhaua, there remains the possi- abihty of niVvantt,—but if there be no notion of bhava or ^athsarOf how can there be or final extiiic-

• p. 49, Verses 2, 3.

• ibid,, p. iU, Verse T.

ilird,, p. 54.

. . , s * No- xm'j, Oi, h v«w a.

Rirvuti ji’diito alpo atrufliiA gotim vfojet

Ibid.t Ch. I, Verse J,

44

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

Uon? There is no possibility of annihilating the beginningless vacuity. * Here the contention of the author seems to be that our moral struggle for our final purification and perfection presupposes a world of objectivity and it is for tliis reason that for t!ic final purification it is wiiier to have even a false positive notion about the objective world than a purely nega¬ tive notion which leaves no scope for morality. But we may mention here that this question did not escape the eyes of the so-called negativists, and Nagarjuna in his Madhyamika-vrtti did answer the question definite¬ ly in his own ivay, ’’

It is, however, urged here that as the illusory notion of existence should be abandoned, so also shoultl be abandoned the notion of non-existence. He, who abandons the idea of both the real and the unreal, attains a state which is neither soihsara nor niroana, and this is pure knowledge (pra/na). In the chapter on the meditation on truth (taitua-bhauana) it has been said that he who realises the truth atnl meditates on it neither sinks deep in the unfathomable ocean of samsara, nor does he remain in his narrow selfish nirudna. In realising the truth one should meditate neither on the void (sunyotd) nor on the non-void (flsttnyaffl),—he should abandon neither the void nor the non-void. In the taking of either swnyald or asunt/afd there are involved innumerable false cons¬ tructions,—even in their abandonment there is the mental function of determination; so this taking up and giving up should both be avoided. When tlie concep¬ tion of the egoiiood (abamityesa satikolpah) does not determine itself in the negative manner as non-void or in the positive manner as void it becomes bereft of all its basis of thought: the wise, therefore, without any attachment and desire, absolutely sinless, unruffled in

• Ibid,, Ch. I, Verse 10.

^ JIfliJhi/rtjPtifrd-rfffii p* 08 ^ L£vi*s Ediliun..

tJNSYSTEMATISED PHILOSOPHICAL PR,-iGMEKTS 45

mind and freed from the constructive imagination of a beginning or an end, should consider liimself as pure vacuity,'

The exact nature of ironwai'fl and nimaafl has very nicely been described in two verses at the end of this cliapter. jSanisdra is nothing but a condition of our mind (citta) which is overpowered with tiic darkness of imiumerable mental constructions and which is as fleet¬ ing AS the fickle flash of lightning in the storm, and which is besmeared with the almost ineffaceable stains of passions, etc. On the other hand, niix^ana is a stage of the same citta, which is effulgent, free from all cons¬ tructions, from which all blemishes of passions etc. Iiave been obliterated, where there is neither the perceiver nor the perceived. *

The Jhana-siddhi * also asserts that the ultimate thuth is neither positive nor negative; for, in the positive there is possibility of all the defects (sarua-dosa- prasawga) and in the negative tJiere is no way left for the relief of ail sorrow.* Pure knowledge is neither with any form {saMra) nor is it formless (nircfcflra). Had knowledge any form, it would have been samsfcrfa

»/piril., Ch, IV, V'trees 7-8. Similar ideas art found in many of the Tanlras nil of ^which need got be quoted here extensively.

rfl jJfldi-dMt I'BTU- Til a/a-i ijf ip (am

hi ut?tira ||

pmbhilsvamJH fcufpajmyA vlmuftfnni

pT(ihiufi-rwgndMs*afn-pr«ffpfl'iii |

^rnhiroTit no ca injhafctmi ngHUtliiQin

tad eva nirvaita-varam ||

Ch. IV, Verses 23-28.

These two versts and many other versts of the pMscdlng chapters of this text lire also found in the clmptcr on PTtip1iO-pflya-nnflT:UFifl fseeond chapter of ihc second section) of the SampfifTfcd or the Sampiif^j-dhiiapa-t-a/pa-riffn. I'irfr MS. No. ■tSM; MS,

pp. I'tB, ISA, l.'iB,

• JildBBsiFWfti (puhlished under the head of Ttfo Vtijmyiina

H’orfrs) (C.O.S.), Ch. 1, Verses

• /bid., Ch. KlI, Verses 3r4.

46

TANTEIC BUDDHISM

(conditional and defiled) as all existence U.' Had knowledge, on the other liand, been absolutely form¬ less, there would liave remained no possibility for becoming omniscient,-—and viithout omniseiencc iJiere would be no possibility of universal coinpassion. ^ A distinction is drawn here between ordinary^ knowledge (/ndna) and the knowledge of the highest truth (tati-ua- jhana). ' The distinction is ultimately tlie same as that between Prajna (the knowledge of Uie vacuity) and Bodhicilta (the combination of both Pruind and Karunn), The former (i.e,, jiiana, prajnd) however is nirvikalpa, i,e,, free from all the false coti struct ions ; but the latter tattva-fndna should never be taken as the complete cessation of consciousness for in

I lie taltva-jnana there is the existence of universal com¬ passion (karuad-hhaoa).

In the S'nguhya-samdja-f antra * * it has been said about the nature of the dkarmas that the dharmas do not belong to the kdmadkdUt (world of desire) nor to the TU-padhatu (material world) nor to the arwpa- dhdtn (supernatural sphere of existence), neither do

^Ibid., Ch. IIL

• /bid., Ch. IV.

’ ibid., Ch. V.

• This text is edited by Dr. B. Bliatteeh^rya, rb.o., and is

published in the Gaekvad’s Oriental Series (Vol. LIII) •, it is taken by the editor to be the earliest text on the VajniyuiiH Sebool of Buddhism and ns tuch the moat important ut all the Vujrayana texts, Prof. M. Wintemitz in rericwiiig this booh in the Jnduin /ftstertcal Quarlerly (Vol. IX., No. 1> says that this text published in the Gaclcwod’s Oriental Series is not tiie same ms the Tdfbd^itra-^ubj/o- »atm quoted and referred to m Sfintideva^ .4iIr«d-saiRiJecnj^a. Prof. VVinti’mits is loath to believe (and he also adduces reason for hijs pmsilion) that the (the text in question) is writtea by

AS great ^ and philosopher os uiid he is not also

ready to believe that the text belongs to as early o period as the grtl or the 4tb ecutIlfy A,D^ We hftTe our fcynipntby with Praf^ Winter- nit?, so lur as the time and authorship of the text is concerned; but nevertheless^ we must add that in many of the BuddhUt Tin trie texts wc find reference to and quotations from this ^rlguhya-mmftja (or simply and these quolatJonai most often (though not

a] ways) tally with the text edited by Dr, Bhattaeharyu.

UNSYSTEMATISED PHTT^OSOPinCAL FRAGMENT'S 47

they belong to the four great eJements. ‘ It has been sakl about the illusory nature of the dharmas that as the sky reniains pervading all space, yet it is mixed up with nothing, neither is it unmixed ;—it is indescrib¬ able, invisible and cannot be proved In any way,—so is to be understood the nature of ail the d/tarmos. This void-nature of the dfrarmns belongs to none of the three worlds (kama, rupa and ff-n<pa),“and what is not in the three worlds eannot be produced and what cannot be produced cannot have any originalion. Bodhicitta is said to be the producer of knovcledge in all the Tathagatas ; but this Bodhicitta remains neither in the body nor in the word nor in the mind ; and what is not in these three elements cannot be produced. The function of the three elements (frfli-dhdftiA'a-kn'j/n) is like the dream, resembling the dream and originated in the dream. Thus all the Tathagatas, all the Buddhas of the ten quarters, all the Bodhisattvas and other beings—all are to he understood as in the dream. * Just as the well-known cfntainan/ (wish-yielding) gem yields gold, silver and other riches as soon as one tliinks of them, but these riches belong neitlier to the mind of the suitor, nor to the gem itself, yet they are pro¬ duced ; same is the case with the origination of all the ilhannas,’ The Tathagatas asked the Lord Vajra- pani,—Where do remain all the tatkdgaia dkarmas and whence are they originated ? ’ The reply of the Lord is,—* They remain in the body, speech and mind of the Tatliagata and are produced therefrom. * * But where does the body-word-mind remain? ' ‘In the void (dkflsfl) ’ replied the Lord. ‘ But where does re¬ main the void ? * ‘ Nowhere ’ is the emphatic reply. * Aryadeva in his Citta-visuddhi-prakarana, ‘ echoes the views of Yogacara and Vedanta when he says that

' Ch, IX. pp, ST-^.

• ffjlrf., Ch. XV, pp, KW, lUl.

• tbid,^ p, 110; also set Cb. XVH.

• Ibid,, pp. 111-112.

» Verses 8T-aa.

48

TANTKIC BUBDHISM

as the perception ’of silver in the shell is effaced only when one perceives it to be nothing but the shell, so all our ignorance vanishes after the realisation of the void (nfliVattKya-dor^ona) ; as the perception of the snake is contradicted by the perception of the rope as rope, so also all perceptions of phenoinenaUsation are contradicted by sunyata or adamantine knowledge (ufl/rfl-/ndna). The gem of mind is covered wdth the mud of beginningless thought-constructions; it shines forth when it is washed with the water of the knowledge of the void and the experience of universal compas¬ sion. '

Padnia-vajra in his Githya-siddhi says that the wise should not think of existence j—^but he should also shake off the idea of non-existence j in the conception of existence he has to admit the permanence of things ; and the conception of non-existence involves extreme nihilism. The reality is free from both existence and non-existence—it is the supportless Nirvana purged of all blemishes: it is beyond the comprehension of even all the Buddhas who are endowed with the knowledge of the void nature,—in it there is neither the goer nor the going nor the place to be traversed; there is neither the thinker, nor the thought, nor the thinkable ; it is inexpressible,—indiscernible,—free from the taker and the taken ; it is indefinable, stainless—^it is exclaimed to be the Nirvana,' Thus the ultimate non-essential nature of the dhamias is its jViruano nature and this

^ V$r&e 117.

• hhaviin na hh^vayed dhjmmi nhh^vam dfirafm lyajct \

ekti^in idivato Mn^ata ||

• * # *

hhavd-hhaua-z^inirmiiktam nhpMkam andki^am \ apmfisthiia^in'anam mrdhfitii-iir^a'-katmnmm |j tan nifyiTLmhhava-yttktafitm btiddhdnikm apif agocuram 1 na tatTfi gantd gamanadt gainynte rfairn va hvatit ||

(?) pammMrthatah |

av^ci/atii unituppim ca griihya^^rfihakn^tarjitam || vitajan cf? fat pra^tiaH H

Giihtja-Mdhi, MS. (C-L.B. No. a/ii); pp. 12(B)—IS(A>.

LTKSYSTEMATISED PHILOSOPHICAL FBAGHENTS 49

nature is not purely nihil; it is rather the * * thatness ’ of the things^—the cosmic oneness; it is the primordial source of all the dhormas, it is the seed of all eutities. Its form is not known,—it is beyond the reach of speech,— it is beyond all sound, scent and taste,—it is beyond even the mind/ This ultimate truth is the knowledge, it is the pure dharma-dhatu as free from all phenomena alisation. * As the non-dual principle of supreme good tfie truth is pervading all the objects—all the universe/ It is neither one nor many, nor is it one and many at the same time ; it is waveless, unmanifest¬ ed—all-pervading/

As we have said, the philosophical fragments occur ' more often in connection with the rituals, ceremonies and esoteric yogic practices than independently. Medi¬ tation on the truth generally precedes all the ceremon¬ ies, rituals and yogtc practices. All cereinonles and practices are absolutely useless until one attains a true perspective about the nature of all dhormns through meditation on the truth. In the Sadh ana-maid, which is a big collection of the ^ddhana of various Tantric Buddhist gods and goddesses with all the parapher¬ nalia of rituals and ceremonies, the principles of both

’ Ibid,, MS. p.

• «in?ii-prapflfica'nir)nii^(ani mpani jfot partnniirn nLunt I

jfi&nath tad lAn klr^ilam |l

Ibid,, MS. p, ia(A).

• yat tativnm m rco-bkrifiiiit( m ?) grahakcr-i'arpltnn |

Cf/apdFitva sfAitarit divyam sarvagam pamman, Sivom ||

/kiJ., MS. p. 37(A).

• nu (u(J fkein nit da*n«kiim clta-nekaii ca ndiva ^at |

niffanirigam jiafwfAtfo iSTrato-mukkarB |t

/ftirf., MS. p. ir(B).

In the same atrwn Kuddaia-pada says in his tmma-padem (also fan own as the Bhddm-pdda-knima according to the nami: of Bhadro-padn, the preceptor of KuddfiLa-pada, MS. C.L.B., No. I313>^) that meditative contemplatioii is nothing but viewing ail things as ‘ unconstruet That which has neither any native, nor any odginatioi), nor any destruction, is the non-dual truth—it is peHect knowledge. Thought-construct ton is the outward world, — uncnnstruct is the adamantine truth of the nature of supreme bliss.

O.P. 105—7

50

TANTKIC BUBDHISM

iSrtiiyatJflrfa anil FtjilaTiinJodfl are mentioned cursorily in connection with the various parts of the sadhawa. * *

In the Vaira-tam-sadhanam it is prescribed that one should ponder over tlie nature of the dharnias, whose ultimate nature is the citta; the citta itself takes the illusory appearances of the varieties of the dhai-tnas. As in dream there is no know'able outside the mind, and yet the mind perceives things,—so also is the case with the lifeHexperiences. So, all the d/mrnias are made up of tlie substance of conscious¬ ness, ami the absolute negation of the perceiver and the perceived is the ultimate reality, * With tliis firm conviction the Sadhaka should do away with the illu¬ sory appearances of things and perceive their ultimate nature as infinite non-dual pure consciousness, which is briglit as pure crystal,—or the cloudless noon-day sky of the autumn. This is the transcendental know¬ ledge of the void,—free from phenomenalisatioii and all Ihought-nconstructions. '

The Buddhist Tantras abound with wjonf ros; and these viantras are often nothing but some cardinal truths representing Mahayanic faith and philosopliy. These mantras are to be chanted in the rites, eere- nionics, meditations and also in connection with various Yogie practices.

• See ^adhuna^Vidlii (G-O^S- No. XXV1)+ VoU pp*

(ind liG; Jbid.f VoL Up p+

" Ibid., p,

• Jfrfil.* p. 226 .

ThU do^lriiiC! of VijoAiiavadd b also found m tbe RddhunuNi (p, $0), EJ££z-j|iif6-jfddAanuiji fp. 254) and here and thtre in some other places also. In the S^ndiikmrhlohciimru-^mdhanGm we find that the three elements sbonld b* realised as of tho form as well as of the nature of magic illusion; all our dsixnl and tactual perCN^ptions are in the dr^nm, us k were, {/feid., p* 20; aUn pp, 105| 2T1). In pnoLlicr place it has been advised to think of the whole world as a magie—as a mirage—as a moon reflected in water. {Ibid^i p. ISS). AD exijtence U to be thought of os void; for, there eannot be any definition of its nature; and as we cannot find qxit sufficient reason behind all existenoe it shnuld be thought of os uncaused; the nature of existence always escapes intellectual eorapreheasion, {Ibid.j p/l70).

UN’SYSTEMATISED PHILOSOPHICAL PRAGMENTS 51

In the Panca-karma of Nagarjuna-padfl we find four gradations in the Sunyata doetrine. The first is Sunya, the second Ati-sunya, the third Maha-sunya, and the fourth or the final is the Snrv'a-sunya,—and these arc all diHerent according to their cause and effect.' The first stage Sunya has been explained as light (alo/i:a) ' ; it is knowledge (prajnu), and the mind remains active in it,—it is relative (paratantra) by nature/ In this stage mind has got as many as tbirty- three impure states (dosa) associated with it. These arc sorrow, fear, hunger, thirst, feeling (oedaiid), sym¬ pathy (&ama-i>cdand), self-analysis (prat^aceksd), kindness (/fdrunj/a), affectionateness (sucha-taafra/mb fickleness (caHfa), doubt (saniiaya), jealousy (wmt- sarya), etc. * This mental stage sSunya has been called the woman (sfn), and it has been said that of all illu¬ sions the illusion of the woman is the greatest. * It is also called the left (wma) and the lotus in the lunar circle ; it is said to be the first vowel to indicate its adaman¬ tine nature.*

The second stage, viz., Ati'^nnya is said to be the manifestation of light (dloA'dbhdsa), it shines like moon-rays and it proceeds from the former (dloAa- /ndna), and while .*>unya is said to be Pi'ujM, Ati-sfmya Is said to be the Upuya, or the means. It is also said

‘ jiiTT^an Cfl ca lrri|^nlra»i ]

taifiTihaHi ca [[

Pfl/lcn-fcraPTi«- MS. (B,N, No. 65) p. 2tV(A}*

^ C7* pi^fna^tponm ahkah

(Ed. by Dr. S* Lfrfmam), pp* 417-18^

^ projild ca cit |

MS- p- St).

In th& commeiiltiry also .iftni/ii-prfljpa is ^xpbini^ci as light — jjfmr/a-prd/iji'j iti yavat. MS. (B.N- No. Od) p. 4S(B).

- Ibid., MS. p. W(B).

^ Rtn-saihjM ca tatha proktd manda-kma^ tathaiva cfj]

Ibid., MS. p. 20(B).

/bid., MS. p. 21(A).

• {m^ mc^) piiRoi cart'd canilm~mandah-pankajlam\

dT4b~ikaTa^a^hetutvat m bmdrib j^rt^arab \\

Ibid., MS- p. ■2^^(B)-

TANTBIC BUDDHISM

to be of the nature of construeii%'e Lmagination (pan- kalpita) and it belongs to the mind as its (mind’s) states (caitflsifra). ‘ It is also said to be the right idaksina}^ the solar eirefe and the

thunderbolt (ua/ra),' There are forty momentary mental states of defilement, associated with it." These are passion, contentment, joy, pleasure, wonder, patience, valour, pride, energy', courage, greed, shame¬ lessness, cunning, wickedness, crooked ness, etc. * The third stage, viz., Maha-sunya proceeds from the union of Prujha and Upaya or aloha and aloirdh/tasa, or Sunya and Ati-sOnya, and it Is called the intuition of light (dlofcopaJabdliT) and is of the absolute nature (parinispanua),—yet it is called ignorance (anidpa). ‘ It has also been said to be the Svadlusthditfl-citfa. * There are seven impure mental states of defilement (prafrrti-dosa) associated with it,—these are forgetful^ ness (uisTTirtf), illusion (hhraiiti), stupor, laziness, etc. Thus dlo^'u, dlokfibhasa and dloko-palabdki —these are the three stages of the citf a and frotn them there follow the principles of impurities which number hundred and sixty in all (eighty in total, but doubled in day and night), and they function throughout the wfiole day and night ivith the flow of the vital wind ivdyu)

• {Uoka-jMtm-Ratnbhatai^ l

ahka-bh^imm htf i^ktam npayakam ||

fatfiii proktam proktam coitimkam Ibid., MS. p. 20<B).

• Ibid., m. 21(A),

Ibid., MS; p., 21(A>*

" Ibid,, MS. p. 2H[A)v

• Uithawa m\

parirtuipaniiakun cdiufT ndziifituh |i

Ibid., MS. p. 21(A);

■ See commentary on Songs Nos. 12 and t k

fiauddAn-gdna-o-do/id} edited by MM- H. P* SiEtTl, pp. 2B and

€f, 0 ba! —ifrii*t^rd^rff hUn tim hdtm in / pra;fi o^p^ya-i rnakn-

vijTiitno-JOTiihnftm iiy

Fniicfjkrania-iippatti, MS* p*

UNSYSTEaiATISED PHILOSOPHICAL FRAOIEKTS 53

which ha-s been said to be the vehicle (vahana) llirough which these impurities of nature (praffrti-dosa) func¬ tion. ' It has been said, wherever there is the (function of the ) bio-motor force or the vital wind, nature (pra- fcrti) with all her impurities is also brought along with it; and so long as there is the function of this bio-motor force or the \dtal wind, the principles of impurity will not cease to function. * As the function of this vital wind goes on day and night, the principles of impuri¬ ties also function always. In the Sunya stage the vayti remains mixerl up with thought; in the next stage thought predominates over this vai/u and the tliird stage is a mixture of both the previous stages. Though knowledge is pure consciousness and is of in¬ determinate nature like that of the sky, yet there are difference.^ in knowdedge as there arc differences in the sky in twilight, night and day. *

The fourth stage, viz., Sarva-sunya (all-void or per¬ fect void) is free from all the three-fold impurities and is self-illurainant. It is called perfect-void because of its absolute purity obtained by transcending these prin¬ ciples of detileracnt. It is the purified knowledge— the ultimate truth—it is the supreme omniscience. It is without cliange—without appearance, without dual¬ ity—it is the supreme good. \Vhether it is any state of existence or noii-cxisteiice cannot be known; it is beyond the scope of verbal expression. From this self- luminous purity, which results from the three preced¬ ing stage.s, proceeds the Omniscient (Buddha) endow¬ ed with all possible merits, all the thirty-lw'o signs of

’ rfilA pmA'rtnj/aA »ic.)kxmnh iiittuh diuAl

raiTmi CHpi pwivflrfcnfc (((tFc. mc.) vayu-i’dftnnrt-ftt’ftiHii 1| tbiih, MS. pp. 21 <A),

^ yafro i/flim taw’i #fjm pmfrrh'ni iidr'aftff I

yilCfU sftrHtrana-fpatfo (Ait. «c.) tjfl6A«so flwcafo |,

Ibid., MR, p. 21 (B>.

■ (tfjtfufffd-iHWliwAfljrt akMavad nialtjanairt I

AfnOi itif-tfti pmbhedo*»ti ssrtrfftya-nUTi-rfjVC-imGiid || fhiffhi MS* 21(B).

54

taxtric buddhism

greatness and also the eighty consonants, * In the ,4i>hisamhod/ii-^’rfl?na of Paiica-krama it lias been said, ‘Perfect void may be said to be without beginning or with beginning, without middle or with middle,— without end or with end: this is w’hat the wise say.*** Here there is neither going nor not-going, neither decrease nor increase, neither existence nor non-exist¬ ence. It is free from the categories oE either being or non-being,—it is neither of the nature of merit nor of the nature of demerit,—^nor is it a combination of both. * We Jiave seen above how the Sunyata-tioctrine of the Mahayanic philosophers was adopted by the eso¬ teric Buddhists ; but the emphasis of llahayana is not only on Sunyata; as a religion it is characterised by its stress on universal compassion. This lilahayana doctrine of compassion was also adopted by these Tantric Buddhists in toto. .\I1 the preachings, all the rites and ceremonies, all the mystic practices have the stamp of Karuna on them, i.e., everytiiing is said to be undertaken only with the view to saving the world from all miseries. Wc have seen In the Bodlii-carya- valara how the devout Bodhisattva was earnestly praying to all the enlightened ones, bent on entering

‘ mnya^tTaija^visuddhir tfQ iho’eyate J|

tarvn-iunya-padaiit tac ca jMna^ttaya-visufldhttafy I

fottvam iraruiv/hcifraifi aniUtaram | rtiTViA'drtrifi jiirdvandvmh jHimmam Arpm |

nfl ca na’utVti »ia ca tad vakya-goctirMni || atoh prabhdsvar&t iuddhat jtifinn-ttnya-mmudbhaiiahl dia-trimM-iakmttta-dtiaro hy <ijSfli-i;or7jtind-iiifjh | Mirva-kHm-varo-jif la^ mtvttjUo jayatt tatafy jl /iy., SIS. pp, 22{By, :t3(A).

■ tv uthavtVdi-bbiitam tiiimdhya-bhiitam athn

madhya-bhiitaMi |

ar<rrnr<i-liAfffafit tv athav(i»t(t^bhutam mrva-^UHUtim itravadauti

II

1 bid,,'M5, p. 30(A).

ijxx niifiHa.rflnflrH tia ca

"" ""fflcjs-ri pm-..

Ibid., SIS. p. 30(A).

tncSYSTEMATISED PHILOSOPHICAL PRAGMEXTS 55

nirvana, not to accept niTvat},u until the suffering world be saved from the miseries of life and every one tie helped in realising perfect wisdom. We find a very beautiful echo of it in the Inana-mldhi wdierc all the from pass lunate Buddhas are solicited not to accept their own nirvana, but to wait on and on until all the crea¬ tures attain perfect Buddliahood. ‘ In the Sadhana- maid we find it an essential part of many of the sadha- ntt$ to pray to the Buddlias and the Bodliisattvast bent on attaining nirudna, to wait for time eternal for tlie benefit of all beings. The Buddhas, who are the fathers of the afllicted helpless beings, are requested to postpone their niruartn and to preach the true religion among all the beings until they are enabled to cross the sea of sanisdra and attain perfect bliss. The aspirer is found not only to pray to the Buddhas and the Bodhisnttvas to renounce their ftfrufliia,—but he himself also renounces his own nirudna and pledges his life for the benefit of all beings. It is said — “ I have deceived all the beings—^liow shall I save tliem (who arc pitiable alas!) from tliis unfathomable sea of existence? Thus being filled with compassion for the being.s, the aspirer should reject the suiiyata which makes a man altogether static,—^and through the effort of the mind he should produce a citta w'hich is full of the dharma-dhatu. * It is said in. the Cifta-msaddhi- prakarana of Aryadeva that great beings \vith sound wisdom and alert mind should win the fierce battle of life and then save Others also. A beast also courts affliction for his own interest; but rare and l>le*sscd arc those master minds who court affliction for the sake of the world. The wretched seirish creatures also bear the pains of cold and blast for their own sake, — but why should they not do the same for the interest of the whole world ? ' It is often seen, when a Sadhaka

'Ch. vm. ~ "

• Vol. 11, p. Si'L

’ inaha-SBtlvo luaha-pfiyah slhira-biiddbir ufitnfrilA^ |

jlVO tarayed ppi ||

56 TANTKIC EUDDHISSI

is going to worship any god or goddess with all the paraphernalia of rituals and ceremonies, he takes, at the outset, the resolution that he u’ill deliver all the beings and enable them to attain complete nirvana."

Even in the description of the gods and goddesses we see that compassion is almost everywhere an attri¬ bute of them.* We may, for instance, compare the descrij>tioii of the goddess 'S'arahi as found in her rnedi* tation in the Abhidhano-ttara, where she is described as having a heart melted with compassion for beings,— as engrossed in the emotion of universal compassion, bent on doing good to all beings. ’

It may also be noticed that almost all the Tantras are introduced with an apology of doing good to all the beings by the teachings of the true religion. The Arya-manjuiri^vifda-kalpa-fantra introduces all tlie ceremonials and ritualistic practices—^all the manfras and tantras as being instructed by the Lord Buddha himself only for the good of all beings.* The Prajno--

paiavo^pi hi au3it^o-Tn4lm-piiirayowfli|i [

jugad-€fthii-i}idhMiaro dhanyat (if vimia jnnuh

suluinte ^rdrtho-^airTipofb^ | jagad^rihd-pravrttdste Wfi ^nhanU kutham mt te |j t It ia^vihtddhi^pm kn ra na ^ Verses 54-521.

• III the Sftd-ak^an-IoktriviiTii-^^dhiinam of the we

pee that the ta-king the vow of enabiidg a]l the beiogs—

whatever be their origiq, and be they endowed with form or be they without form,—be they conscious or UDOoneious^—to ettain the anupadhi-^^esa-mnmdhl fi.e.p Blruonii without any residuum' c/- the mrapadhi-sesa-^aiijcdhi of the Nirvann-praka^^

C/. aJso the Abhi^eka-fmiata of the f/i

" In the Lord Mafljuin is depicted ut com^

passionate to the whole world and bent on doing good to all hc^inn (Ch. XVII, p. I4fl, G.O.S.) ^ ^

^aniriVi-rdren^r-crfflJS ||

gangand-bht^ga-s&mbhogd mahd^knni^^-TUBo-tsifk^ f

(?) ^iivu-rtha-kjtfi^tQtpiim I! PUiii^fiM"/fidfi<i-paTii55Sfu mrvik&lpa mraSayi^ \ mh^ViibhwfJ-pf^r& vindxi-nadn-vivQrjit^ ||

through this, let all people be made bent on attaining the Bod hi' (ciupted m the Advaya-vajTa^gatiigraka), At the end of the Jtfrpsor.

UXSYSTEMATISF.B PHILOSOPHICAL FBAGMENTS 57

jwya-u/iMSCoi^n-siJrf/u also says tliat all truth was preached and explained by the great sages only with the purpose of rendering some lieljj to the suffering world. '

In initiating a disciple to the mystic cult for the attainment of the Bodhicitta the preceptor should first of all see that the ciiseiplc has a bencA'olent mind, * and the Guru instructs the disciple to perform all the prac¬ tices only for the benefit of the beings. ' To bear with

of the the Sndhaka proclBim^y —*By

vbfltfiver merih is ncquired by me by perfonniwg this t^ffAarra of tbe lord of the vrorM,^ —let the world attiiiii the (ultimate) status*^ Sinular verses oecuf after the performaTice of memy of the s^dhanm* (See Satlhnifa-mnlflr pp^ 48^ 75^ ITT, *200). Eveo the mystic circle is to be deseribeiJ for the welfare of the beinp.s, f Kriwd'JfCfHUrafca’. MS. p. r4(E>J.

^ In the Sanskrit portion of the P«Ji/irrnii.a (edited by H. P* Sa^trO the goddess Variihi cd treats the lord Mahavirclvara to reinoTe all her doubts and to explain to her all the secrets of Yoga for ^c good of the beings (kathatjantu mama jiaffvdnniu

ujmhimkam}i to this the lord replies.— * Prop! ii Bled am I, O goddess! I shall explain in detail all that will bring about the gocKi of all beingSj harken all with B coneeutroted mind/ (P, Sahitya-

parisat edition). In tbe production of I he Bodhicitta^ in the prae- tices^ rites and ceremonies, even in the sexo-yogic practice it has II I ways been proclaimed that everything ts done only for the giKwJ of all beings. Thus it is^ said in Lbe A'l/deMfi-rJir^hotcrnaiu of the

• T shall produce the great Bodhicitta and

shall lead and guide all the beings lo the right |Kith; I shall undergo all the practiees for the attainment of Eodhi — and shall be the Buddha for the good of the world/ (Pp. 5-6; also see S^dhana-nidla, PPp 3i 20)* In the (in the chapter on the ptoduetioTi

of the Bodhicitta) it is said^— *By this taerilorious work (iMicffT-ftorTiro) soon shall I be a Buddha and T shall preach the truth for the good of the World and deliver the beings oppressed with miaeries+^ aambaram krtmam saTi'a-ibBtiv&~rtha-kdramt \ utfrnau tivuiktfm mttcfrydmif oham |*

MS. No. iil) p. 36(B).

Pfiena cAhmi A'cnria^a

bhBveyfi buddho na emm hkr \ dmgfi dhnrttunh jugato hhnya

moeei^a to fir da bahn-diif^ha-plditiin ||

MS* (B.N. No* 31) p. 3n(B>, Also sec Advn^a^vajm- mmfimha, p, 0,

^ Cfw rlrnoddhaiunu-riff/i^a pmdrtfath divi^n^rndhanam j|

J i*Alin^uli~v(tjm-mula-tnn (ta* MS,

MS."(K.A.S.B, No. tS5l) p, 13(B).

O.P* 105— S

58

tXntric buddhism

a calm unruffled spirit all sorts of mental and physical torture for the sake of the world was deemed to be a great virtue in Buddhism; as a result, we see that in the Tajjtras, as in Buddhism in general, it became a religious practice to inflict torture on the body, ‘ It was also anothcT practice to try to become one with the whole universe through repeated and deeply con' centrated meditation and to perform the religious practices or the Yoga after one had realised oneself completely identical with the universe, so that after this identification of the self with the universe any merit acquired by the Sadhaka would be a merit acquired by the whole universe and the liberation of the self Avill be the liberation of the wdiole universe. . Through meditation first the universe must be identi’ fied with the self, so that there may be complete oneness of the self and the universe. *

In the songs and the Dokds of the Siddhacaryas we find this spirit of universal compassion expressed often in a very nice way. In the |Jafcor«aua the Sadhaka is requested first to realise the pain of bond' age in the world and to meditate on the compassion for beings. ’ It ha^ been very nicely said by Saraha- pada in his Dohas ,—Whoever thinks this to be the self—^this to be the other—^perverts himself even in the absence of bondage and even though lie is liberated.

• Tiife Ch* VTTI* Al&u Sadkitna-malnf

pp, Ij 57 (G.0A>.

^ pmiuto VQpi yavM dhrd/t^am |

vfiiFf yxigJ pittda-gmha ift srB|t«A IJ jangamam raivn piiTvam kftvd pmbhMviiram ] paJicdt kury&t taika-imnnnm (infibhedu-krittno^hpayQjn || yath^*darie layam gacirhafi fiairfitaA | latM yogi pmvwVe to riiiiAriri^iuhui^ gacchams tiMihan ivayarii ( r) nirm^m 1

antTia sada fotfuamt H

Panca-kr(nna^ MS. p,

Cj^ Sri-caA:rn-5iimJ!iAiJp<'M(j«fra— Ed. by Arthur Ay^IoHj^ 72*

Also see SMhnna-nifillt^ p, 501 (G*OJS.).

• lanflrt ftanyfifi bhurnhu Mj riimu /#u£du buddhahu

jimnia j|

Qiikiltnavii—Ed. hy Dr. N\ N. Cliaudhnry, p* Itl.

unsystematised philosophical fkagments 59

Don^t make the mistake of the self and the not-self; everything is of the nature of perfect enlightenment from time eternal,—tliis great lord of unbleniislied citta is pure by nature. * “ The great tree of non-

dual mind spreads throughout the three worlds in its vastness ; it contains flowers and fruits of eompassion, —tliere is nothing beyond it* ” * Saraha-pada con¬ cludes with the verse,—" If no good to others is done,— no gift is given at all,—what is the need of living this life in the world at all? It is better to do away witli it. ^ This stress on Karuna in various ways is a charac¬ teristic feature also of the Carya-padas, *

• DohtiJca^ —Ed, by Dr^ P* Bagchi, p* (Msay of thes« 

dohaA ate aseribed also to Tillopjlda, Ibid.^ p, 2)»

^ cr^ta-fa naira/id gad viftFiara|

pAuIfT-pAa/a dhatai iiaii parafta iidm ]|

Ibid., p. 28 .

• para iiata 7ia ktau atibi na didii ddna[

ehu mmAdre pbd/u varu chuddaku appuna |[

Jbid., 23.

^ It is said by Ktimbdlilnibdta-padd tn a song that kis boat of ^afuiid IS MIed with the gold of vacuity. (Song No. S). lu andther song where Ka^u-pada explains the esoteric doctrine by the meta¬ phor of the chess-game, compassion has been made the play-board- (Song No- 12). Again in explaining the ultunate stage ICa^hu-pida says that he secs his body in compas^bn and vacuity. (Soog No. 13). Id the commentary of the Coryas the Siddhac&ryos are said to have composed these fiongs through deep compassioD for the beings, (See Comm, on Songs Nos. 1, 7^ 8),

CHAPTER III

SCHOOLS or TaXTUIC buddihsm

In tiescribing the schools of esoteric Budtlliisin the best thing would have been to trace htstorkally the origin and development ot the various schools with their particular faiths, doctrines and practices; but the data for such a historical survey is so scanty and confused that we do not venture to make such an attempt. Dr. Benayatosh Bhattaearya in his /id roihic- fion to Buddhist Esoterism has of course made an attempt at constructing some sort ot a liistoiy of the . Vajrayanist and the Sahajiya preachers; hut so vast and confused is the field anil so scanty and doubtful are the materials that the structure does not seem to be very well built. The same remark liolds good for the attempt made by Dr. Shahidullah in tracing the history of the Sahajiya Buddhist School in his work Les Chants Mystiques de Kanba et de Saraha.

(i) The Evatution Of Mantra-ydna

In the Tflttva-ratndt'ali (collected in the Advaya- vajra-samgraha) we find Mahayana suh-divUled into two selmols, wk., P^amita-naya and Muntra-naya. The principles of Mantra-naya are said to be very deep and subtle and inaccessible to ordinary men; aiul though the ultimate purpose of the Mantra-sLstra is the same as that of others, it is distinctly superior to the other Sastras, which prescribe many easier methods ; the reason is that it (i.e., Muntra-sustra) is free from delusions and it is accessible only to people of higher intellectual calibre. ‘ This Mantra-naya or Mantra-jmna school of Mahayana seems to be the

• introductory stage of Taiitrie Buddhism from which all

^ py oAiunmohM bfihup^i^iid |

tlkmi'HiiriyH-dhik^mc ca |[

Tatk-d-rafnSvali in Advaya-vQjm-isamgtah^t p. 21*

SCHOOLi) OF tantric uuddutsm 61

/ the other offshoots of Vajra-yana, Kalacakra-yana, Sahaja-yana, etc., arose in later times. In the Laghu-tca la-cakra-t ant r« ra } a~tJhd , e nti 11 ed Vi ni ai a-

prabhd^ we find that the doctrines of the Paramita- naya are written wljolly in Sanskrit, while lliose of tlie Mantra-naya are explained in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apa- bhraiiij^a and even in the non-Sanskritic languages like those of the Savaras and others. ’

Early Buddhism was a religion of rigorous moral discipline, practices and contemplation. But such a religion of purely ethical codes and deep meditation could not appeal to the masses and the systems of moral discipline and the methods of the /hanas were not acceptable to them. To the ordinary mind religion is sometlung full of rites and eeremonies or other jiara- phernalia of esoteric practices. It is for this reason that for the sake of the common run of people the Mantras, the Mudras and the Mandalas (mystic circles) were introduced in Buddhism in course of time. These Mantra, Mudra and Mandala, etc., introduced for the realisation of tlie ultimate truth, gradually brought with them various other practices and tlius Buddhism began to put on a ditferent air, which is generally known as Tantricism. We may recall in tliis connection the later Mahayanic idea of Tmilokya-uf/ai/a or the leligious coiiQuest of the three worlds. The idea be* liind the whole drive was the idea of bringing people of all calibre within the Buddhistic faith by making Buddhism acceptable to all classes of people. Witli this end in view the Mahayanic apostles had to incorporate all sorts of popular ceremonies and practices in their

prykriti-

cha-bMfayQ \

highu-kriiticakrii-Uwtrn-m}a-til:ii tMS, R.A.S.B. -ITifJ), p. SOtA),

62 TaNTRIC BlfDDHISM

religion, and as a result the ethieo-religious nature of Buddliisni began to change rapidly*'

Tradition holds Asahga, the great exponent o£ the Yogaeara school, to be responsible for the introduction of Tantrisni in Buddhism ; he again, in his turn, is believed tfj have been initiated into this mystic cult by Maitreya in the Tusitadieaven. Others on the other hand hold that Nagarjiina, the renowned exponent of the Madliyainika school, was the real founder of the esoteric school, and he received the doctrines from Llic Celestial BuddJia V^airocana through the divine Bodhi- sattva Vajrasattva at ‘the iron tower’ in South India.

But apart from these traditions, some seholars are disposed to think that in the Mufidydna-sutrdluhkdra of Asahga there are clear references to the sexo-yogic practice of tlte Tantrjc Buddhists. As the point has been discussed by the present writer elsewhere, he need not repeat it here." Dr. Bcnayatosh Bhattacarya is of the opinion that the esoteric eiemeiits were intro¬ duced into Buddhism by Lord Buddha himself as a provision for the lay people whose intellectual calibre would not allow them to follow the path chalked out by him. We on the whole are rather loath to believe that Buddha whose life and teachings were a direct revolution against the prevalent religious svstem of ceremonies and rituals should have himself made any provision for Tan trie practices of any kind in his religion only to popularise his religion among the unetillured and uneducated mass. *

‘ ttU Imcriitlittm by Dr. B, M. Bjtruii, Pari 1

pp. SS3, 313; hIed n Jecturi? by Dr, Biirua, named, Role of Buddlrbrn in /iiJwH Li/f dnrf Thought, ddivefed at a avmpusium of ihe Indian I philosophical Congress, 21st Sc$siQn, Delhi.

f Cutt* .Ie Haek^roum! of

Lttemiurf (C.U., lB4tj^ by Ihc present writer. ”

T . Introdtietion to linilHkint Eitotcmm, p. «t, Sre also The

In trod uet ion to the Sudhamt-ntutH, Vol. II, pp. xvj-xvn.

• Ttflr Obteure Religiuu* CtiH», etc., pp, ifr-se.

SCHOOLS OF TANTRIC BUDDHISM 63

^V^len anr! by whom the Mantra element was ititro- duceci in Buddhism we do not know exactly; but it seems that with the rise of Mahayana with its pledge for tleliverinj^ all the beings higher or lower, meritorious or vicious, the Mantra, Mudra, Mandala and such other popular religious practices began to jimke their way into Buddhism. The l^Iahayanust preachers, with their pledge of universal redemption, could not do without these ordinary masses and for them they had to condescend from the prescription of strict ethico- religious practices to the sanction of tlie Mantra, Mudra, etc. The innumerable Dharams seem to he the original form in which the Mantra element first found its Tvay in Maliayana. The word Dharani literally means that by which something is sustained or kept up idharuate anaya iti), i.e., tire mystic syllables that have got the capacity of keeping up the religious life of a man. In the evolution of some of the Mantras in the Dliaranis there seems to be some sort of a history. It seems that the ordinary followers of Buddhism could not follow the original apiiorism of BuddJnsm ; for them it was necessary to shorten the $utTas into the Dharunis ami the ordinary followers were enjoined to commit to memory and regularly recite these Dharanis with implicit faith, and it was assured by the Bodtu- sattvas that the recital of these Dharanis was capable of producing infinite merit in the reciters and of con¬ ferring immense benefit on them. Dr. B. Bhattacharya has traced some sort of a history of the bi/a-niantra pra?ii which symbolises Prajna-paramita. The Jsto- sahanrika-pralna-pammiia, a Mahayana work of stupendous volume, coiikl hardly be expected to be read and mastered by any ordinary follower; it was therefore absolutely necessary to abridge tliese S,000 stanzas into a few stanzas, which became known as the Pmjnd-paTamUa-hrdaya-sutra, which again was further reduced to the Prtijnd-pdramifa^dharanl. From this Prajnd-pdramHd-dkdrani again evolved the Prajm-

TAiVrRlC BUDDHISM

pdrafil/fa-fnottfrri, from which again evolved tlie bija- jnantra in one syllable as and it was believed

that in response to the muttering of this btja-tnantra pram sfmyata would transform herself into the goddess Piajna^paramitik, who is a ^ veritable metamorphosis of the Prajua-piiramita literature. * * These hi/a-ma?i tras arc mono-syllablic Mantras symbolising some parti¬ cular god or goddess. Thus ‘a» represents Vairo- cana, ‘ya’ Aksobhya, Ralnasambhava, ‘ba’

Amitabha and ‘ la ’ Amoghasiddhi, * Hum ’ is the bfja of Vajra-saltva. * The voivel * a * being the first and the most independent sound, has been taken to repre¬ sent Sunyata or Ptajna. '

This system of bija-tnantra is very' conmioii in the Hindu Tantras also, and they are even now prevalent in all the Hindu systems including iSaktaisni, Saivisni, ^ aisnavism, etc. It has often been assured in the Buddhist Tantras that in response to the muttering of these bya-mantras the ultimate void (sunyata) will transform herself into the particular form of god or goddess and confer infinite benefit on the reciter. The same belief is found in Ifie Hindu Tantras.* In the

Mahastikha-pralcasa of the Advaya-vajra^saiitgraha it has been said that the bija proceeds from tiie suiu'ata- . knowledge, and from the blja proceeds the reflection or the form (of particular gods and goddesses). * This

' r»h- ;ln IntTothtcfion to Eroteric Buddhifin, by B Bh&tta* oharya, p, wntn-Lu

• About the allotment of the bijos to the diaerciit gods and

eodd«scs there is no slnct agreement nmiing the Tantras, Thus in

nf Wantfunatha and ‘hi’

of Ka^anatha. (MS, B.N, Sans, Xoa. <5S, 06, p. 4(B)1.

In the y/infp^putold of the f/nra/Vd-tantra we find that the of the Tatblgata is (j,h ah hum pkaf tvahs-. that ot he ^de,s« k»im am jvit kham fto.V,^and that of Heruiai it

£r(ivA.sX Nr iTSlvlT

Texts Md sIS™)!”*'"' ‘■""“-"■raf. (K„l,™i, s,™, of

’ ftp/nrii b'ljail himbttih prajliyatv\

Advntja-vfijm-naiiigrahnf p. 50 1G,0.S.).

SCHOOLS OP TaNTKIC BUDDHISM 65

kind of belief in a syllable representing a god or god¬ dess is a very old belief current from tbe time of the Aranyakas and tlie LJpanisads. In the Upanisads we often find that Brahman is to be meditated in the form of the syllable ^ om ’; this * oni' is taken to he the representative of the Brahman, Even Patanjali in his Yoga philosophy accepts the prttnuva (i.e., *oni *) to be the representative of Isvara.

It must, however, be adniitted that of these Mantras (which are many in kinds, such as Bi/a, Hjdaya, Upahrdaya, RaksUt etc.) only very few can be historically traced back to some significant origin tike the bija-mantra pram. A noticeable thing in this ■ Mantra element is the infusion of some particular significance into some sound or syllable, wliich now seems to us to be purely arbitrary' ; and often purely Sanskritie words have also been explained in that technical way. Thus, in the Manual of a Mystic we find, —“ In the word Arahaii the first letter ' A * means the Treasure of the Law (Dharma) ; the second ‘Ka' the Treasure wljo is the Buddha and the third ' Uaii' the Treasure of the brotherhood (Sahgha) ’ In the Hevajra-tantra Sri-Hcruka has been explained in the following manner,—* Sri ’ means the noiwiual know¬ ledge, *he’ means the non-causality. *rii means the nature as uncompouiided and * kn ’ means ‘ not abid¬ ing anywhere ^ * In the Srl-cakra-sambhdra-tantra we find,—Let him imagine in the centre of his own heart the letter * A ’ evolved fi-oin the experience which knows that forms are unreal. Or let him think of the clear lunar disc which symbolises world experience, and upon that Mant^'a ‘ Hum * which symbolises mind devoid of objective content. Of this ‘Hum’ the

^Manual of a Myatit: (being the Transktion trom the Pali and Sinhalese work entitled the .Uaniifil) by F. L. Wood-

wiinl, M.A. (CKntafa), p. *2.

• jiU-ifaram /anrinm |

hyuhatii leakHti- no tuaril P

//evd/ra-fanlra. MS. (RASB. No. 11*17) p. 1®(A),

O.P. ]«5 -y

TaXTHIC buddhism

ee

letter * u * stands for the knowledge wdiich accom¬ plishes all works ; the body of the letter ‘ H' for that knowledge which distinguishes, the top of the letter ‘ H ’ for the equalising knowledge, the crescent (ccmdra) for the mlrror-like knowledge ; and the * Bindu ’ above that for the changeless knowledge, ” ' This kind of inter¬ pretation of the Mantras is frequently met with in the Tantra literature in general,*

On the whole it seems that most of the Mantras and Dharanis are composed of a string of syllables which have lost their etymological meaning or which had never an etymological meaning, Vasubandhii says in Jiis Bodhisattim-bkHmi that tins absolute mean¬ inglessness is the real significance of tlie Mantras, A ‘ Sadhaka is to meditate on these Mantras as something absolutely meaningless and this constant meditation on the meaninglessness of the Mantras will gradually lead to a .state of mind where it will be very easy for him to meditate on the ultimate nature of the dhamas as absolutely meaningless ; this meaninglessness is the void nature of the dfiarmas and thus the meditation on the Mantras will gradually lead a Sadhaka to the realisation of the void nature of the dhannas. *

^ transloted Iiom Tibttan fay Kar.i

Dnwasamdup^ 5-0.

• fiytrns iah-ctikranthn v'^whl Hit vidhfynfe\

rfphas tafnk mjnudhhuto yfl rthhS hahni-ruphyi || vfivwrffiill’iti ^firva-dh/trma-x^tkh{i7h «ri ]

rekha hahnimn^ rekM, jfifjmrfdNiano c<3n7u (}) ][

iitraptjfiHw dnifftavi^oh prnbha^vnra-isukhakpi | dvayoh teii bhavtl [|

hakattih mikha-calirmthB lehhayfdUigfitim (?) tuiah mmpifivaifm rJeufm ihlm vindtiTuctjQtt ||

til l&kottaM kvucit hkottara-mkha~prad^ |

^ieyam ikara-rftphf* |[

etan'i sapfafcflfjTf??! ficris | etc.

Manfiakfllfkfi-laritni. MS, (B*N. N&. _

B(A>.

“ Vkh Bodhi^iiih-tt-hhSinH—Ed, bv Unari Wo-nhara (Tokyo)

pp. *27^-74. "

Sw* also Olwiirr CuU^, rlc. bv the present author,

pp. 21-22,

SCHOOLS OF TAJSTRIC BUDDHISM 67

Tlius accorfliiig to VasubaiKlhit in this absolute iinmeaningness of the Mantra lies its real power winch helps the Sadhaka in realising the nature of the uni’ verse as absolute void. The Mantras are thus taken onl 5 '‘ as a help for tlie realisation of the absolute void- nature of the universe. So in the liands of ^'asubamlhu the Mantras obtain a deeper significance than the mere invokation c>f any particular god or goddess who might eonfer mundane benefit on us or fulfil some of our selfish desires.

Qesules tlic.se unmeaning mystic syllables we find in later Buddhist Tantras tiial the letters (including all the vowels and the consonants) were transformed •into Mantras. In this matter the Buddhist Tantras agree fully with the Hindu Tantras. It is a general custom with the Tantras to place these Mantras in the form of the letters in different parts of t!ie body far the purification of the body, and there are often ela¬ borate systems of the arrangement of the Letters on the different plexus {cakras) situated within the body along the spinal ciiord,' The two sets of letters, viz,, dti (the vowels beginning with the vowel ‘ a ’) and fcdit (the consonants beginning with the letter ‘ka’) are often spoken of variously in both the Hindu and Buddhist Tanlric practices. It Is therefore necessary here to say a few explanatory words about these Mantras as letters (earna).

In this transformation of the letters into the Mantras, as Prof, S. N. Dusgii]>ta explains in an article,* the Tan Iras seem to have adopted the Mimariisa theory of iuhda or sound. The Mitnamsakus hold that sound is eternal and is always in tlie form

^ uf the P«Tlca-fcr*ifiid*

MS. (B.N. Sfins. Nci. (iS) pp.

AI so* if mi kit~i a n tra ^ Bod hkitta-i^fvn k m iri u wfi-pti /isi.

MS. (H.A.S.B* Xo, mm pp. 7KA)—

^ GrrirrfjJ int rod art ion to Taiytm Philosophy t by S*

caQccled in his

G8

TA>rrEIC BUDDHISM

of the letters of the alphabet, and a word is also nothing more tlian the letters that eotnpose it. The meaning . of a word is absoUitely independent of any human agency and belongs to the word by virtue of Us very nature anc] some peculiar power is required for the realisation of this hilicrent meaning. The w'ords them¬ selves are also eternal, but they require the auxiliary agency of pronunciation to be cognisable to our con¬ sciousness. The Tantras accept tills view of the eternal nature of the iabdas and further hold that the movement that produced the world shows itself, or, is represented in us in miniature, in the production of the sound. The process of the production of the sound is the epitome of the notion as it were, of the cosmic • process of creation. ” This creative power, which is view'ed as the mother of tlie universe in its aspect as identified witti the voriies is called the mdtrkd. Now sabda being of the nature of I'anio, the fifty varnas from * a' to * h' are taken to be the totality of the presiding force over the sabda. The different vornas therefore represent the different functions of the mdtrkds and these mofrAds being parts of the creative forces are associated wdth particular conative, cogni¬ tive and emotional tendencies and are also naturally connected with corresponding physiological centres, which form the physiological data of these psycho¬ logical functions. Tliis seehis to be the metaphysical ground on whicli this Mantra theory as the uar^os is based. In the -Srisfliupuf/A-d we find that whatever word proceeds from the mouth of man should be re¬ garded as a Mantra, the sound (ndda) is the Mantra** In the Vyakta-bhdvdmtgata-tattva-siddhi it has been said that whatever pure movements of Uie limbs, pro¬ ceed forth from the Bodhicitta, which is Sahaja, should

' ijnh kaicit pmearii varitm janilniith pratipattunlel

nndo hf tmntra ilft tikUnk mrve^ti} lu inrinimu,\ etc, Sfi-unmputika, MS. (R.A.S.B, No, IBM) p. ©(fi).

SCHOOLS OF TaNTRIC BUDDHISM

69

t

u]1 be conceived of a.s the Madras, and whatever words proceed from it are all JIantras,'

Closely associated with this Mantra element of esoteric Buddhism is the Mudra clement which is generally taken to be signs made by the particular position of the hands and the fingers. * This Mudra element, however, with tlie Mantra and some other esoteric practices has a deeper signiheance in the yogic Sadhana of the Tantnkas, and as the Mantra element contains all the secrecy of the potency of sound, the Mndra element contains the secrecy of touch as asso¬ ciated with the potency of the pliysiological system. Witli Mantra and Mudra the element of Mandala or describing the mystic circles was also introduced. Though this Mudra element with the Mantra clement and some other esoteric practices may be traced back to the later vedic practices, we have reason to think ^ that in the evolution of Mudra in esoteric Buddhism the different postures of the hands and fingers of .*5akya- muni have something to do, and some of these postures do allude to some of the incidents of his life. In the University library of Cambridge there is a manuscript with the colophon ^rlmac-chakyaraja-sarca-durgati- pariiodhana-mukhaJihyma-praihatna-adiyoga- n a m a~ samddhik with as manv as lumdred and hftv-eight folourctl illustrations of the different kinds of Mudriis. Of these some seem to be purely the posture of the

^ sva d ha-bod!/iicfttfif yt’ kh ul b m haja~vi n mu rI il-pi ^a~

vik^epaii tc f^i^rve eva mudra-kfimhfyf^pi vag-vik^epfia ttiantta- prak^rdh \

Vyf^khi-b ha i a n if tfi-ta t tva-sUldh u MS* (CX .B* No. 13124J p- 00(A),

Cf, also tlic Bengali soog pf Sadbaka Bilmpra^ad,— ydfrt swnrt Arurnn-prife^ it/ikdff mftr iiioiifm buff, kfiit pancai^tit-varmmfiifi viirwf ifitrnf rtama dhurr *j “Whomever you bear witb your ears are but the Mantras of the Mothtr; Mother Ku!i ip of the nature of these ftfty letters, and she bus her luime m tv try letter*^"

^ This Mudfp should be carefully distin^uJfihBd from the Mudra or the Mahiiniudru who is the Prujnu ur the great woman to be adopted in the Yogie practice.

70

TANTHIC BUDDHISM

lianils and tntigers ; some on. the other liand illitstrate the different manners of holding the thuinlerbolt the lotus (padnm), the bell (g^iarifd), the sword, the coneh-shell (HU7ikha\ bunch of flowers, garlands, etc. Others again illustrate the manner of offering flowers, water. Incense, lamp and other materials of worship. Some again illustrate the diiferent manners of playing on the different musical instruments. All these are done with llie aim of obtaining final puri¬ fication and final deliverance from the miseries of life.

Once the portals of Buddhism were flung open to let in some elements of Tantricism iji the form of the Dharani, Mantra, Mudra, etc., all the traditional beliefs in Magic and charms and sorceries with all their details rushed in and quickly changed the whole ethieo- religious outlook of Buddhism ; and wdtli the forms and traditions of Buddhism and the materials of Tantricism grew up the elaborate Tan trie Buddhist systems.

V

(ii) Vajra-yana —The Most C'oninioa Name Once this esoterism could (tnd admission into the Buddhist fold all sorts of popular beliefs and practices began vigorously to be incorporated in it. The six kinds of Tantric rituals intended lor the good or evil of anybody (generally known as abhicam) gradually made their way in it, and the five accessories of Tantric practices, generally knmvn as the five ‘M’s (paricn- niakaras) also found place in Buddhist esoterism.* But the aim of these practices is not always the fulfilment of some or other mundane desire (though instances of them are not altogether wanting), but these j>ractiees with tlieir minutest details are said to be undertaken only for the attainment of the Bodineitta, Le., for the

• Wtf do no\ lind niiy direct metitiuii of those

in Ific Buddhist Toittrus; but we fine] sp^rodie monttun of wine, lish and cto,, but niore ofteii we find montiun of the panca-

and it Lg ofioit thut a SildbakA placed in the

Oiiu, without hesitntiun, oujoy the five ohjeels of enjoy- meat fur Ihc nttainment of perfection.

SCHOOLS OF TANTRTC BUDOmSM

71

realisalitm fjf perfect knowledge and for the uplift of all beings.

This composite system of Tanlrieisnv came lo be known by the general name of \^ajra-yana ‘ and from Vajra-y^n developed the Sahaja-yana at a still later time. * * **

^ Tlic ori^i 11.^1 nanta MoiitTfl-^yana is Lti a

• jenpral sense Jor the later Buddliist TaDtrie Sehook.

7N£rnt™-w)4iftaf/a>per fxnuv&kHijfite , ete^ II ^^vajm-patijiktl, SIS. p» 45(B).

Alsio ,— tad jdaili X'^ak^i(tiU*dhund\

— . i Jffli/a-rcr/ m-m p. 54.

AJi=Pt — Comm, on the Dokako&ti of Komliapadaf Verse No. 12.

—Dr. P. C. Bagehrs edition.

• Kiasi Dawasamdup in his introduction to the iSri-cufem-ieiPii-

hhura-t€^tt(ra divider this Vajra-yina into six sect 5 . He i§ayst—

• 'The development or ^fruit’ of ths first three (i.e*, Sravaka-yana,

PratyckR-lHjdiiha-y5na and Bodhisattva-y^a) is the Yaira-yana and MardTH-yana which h di voided into six parts or states; (4) Kriya- tantra^yoim (Byavki-rGyud-kyi-tbe^n); (5) Caryil or Upiya-taDtra- yarta (Spyod-pahi-rGyTjd-kyi-thegpa); (0) Yo^-tantra-yfina (rNa!- hbyor-rgV The latter is again subdivided into three; (T) Mahaypga- tantra-ySna (Mahn-^yoga or Mri-rGyud-kyj-thegpa); (ft) Anuttara- yoga-tantTR-yana (Anuyogm nr (?) Blamed-rGyud-kyi-thegpa); and ^0) x4.ti-yoga-tanlra-yana (Ali-yoga hi-lheg-po)/- From what Sf^urce Kmm Dawasamdup des^ibiS these subdivisions we do not know; the general praetiee, however^ is to divide Vajra-yana into four classes,— vh,^ Knya-tantTa, Carya-tantrat Yoga-tan tra and .Anuttara-tajitra* Mr. Waddell describes the first two divisions as tlsc

• • Lower Tantra” and the last two as the ^*Upper Taatra”* (Lamamn

— I52)i The Kriya-tnntras and Carya-tantras are epneemed with the ritualsi et-renioniesi worship of and goddesses and other

practices: but the Yoga-taiitra find the AnTittara-tanlra are much higher types of Tantras containing the Yogie processes lor the realisa¬ tion of the ultimate truth and a discussion on the nature of the ultimate truth. As n matter of fact if we go through the Buddhist Tan trie texts p wc shall find ^hat some of the texts eon tain nothing but the detailed description of the gods and goddesses and elaborate systems of worship au»J chanting?—without having any element of yoga or philosophy in them, ll is for this tcosoti that to study the cssentiuk nf the Buddhist Tardras we slu^uld concentrate otir atten¬ tion more nn the Yoga-tantras and the Anuttara^tanlras and our study is generally based on thcin. But the fact is that it is often very difficult to arrange the Buddhist TariJras under the heading of these four cliisaeSf — for many of the Tantros contain a mixture of the different rlements.

The doctrines oF the Kriyu-tantriis and the Carya-tantras were meant for the beginners for whom mere rituals und practices were prescribed; but the Voga-tantra ujid the Anutlaru-yoga-tantra are

1

72

TASTTRIC BUDDHISM

(A) kaucakea-yaNa, nathism, etc.

The Buddliiat Tantras are generally divided into three schools, vis., Vajra-yana, Kala-cakra-yana and Siihaja-yana, We do not know on the authority of what texts this division of schools have been made. Of course, these names are often met with in the Tantrie texts, but the characteristics of the schools have never been sufficiently explained, Jiahamahopadhyaya Haraprasada Sastri in his introduction to Modern Buddhisjji and its Followers in Orissa of N. N. Basu, speaks of Nathisni as another school of Tantrie Bud¬ dhism in addition to the three already mentioned above. This view of MM. Sastri seems to be based on a popu¬ lar misconception. * The name of Kala-eakra-yana also appears to be perplexing. About it Waddell says in his Lamaism,—In the tenth century -4.D., the Tan- trik phase developed in Northern India, Kashmir, and Nepal, into the^monstrous and poly-demonist doctrine, the Kala-cakra, with its demoniacal Buddhas, which incorporated the Mantra-yaiia ]>ractices, and called it¬ self the Vajra-yana or the ' Thunderbolt-Vehicle and its followers w'ere named Vajra-carja or ‘followers of the Thunderbolt. ’ ” * In another place he says,—The extreme development of the Tantrika phase was reach¬ ed with the Kala-cakra, which, although unworthy of being considered as a philosophy, must be referred to here as a doctrinal basis. It is merely a coarse T^- trik development of the .4di-Buddha theory combined ’ivith the puerile mysticism of the Mantra-yana, and it attempts to explain creation and the secret powers of

for the jidvaricfi^d Siidhakiiji who wouJd nltaui perfection (aifjffhi) through proceswi of Yogs. Prof. La %^aL1^e Poussin has compared thest divisions of the Buddhist Tantras with the ftirangie- mcol of the Vais^va-tantras (fouBd in the Piidmfi^lanfra) aa the (1) Jji&iia-padat h} Yoga-|>adti, (3) Kriyl-p^da and (4) Carya^ padftp IJ.R.A.S,, lun], p. fKio).

^ See Obsctire CulU ,1^ IhickiJromd of Efngati Littfuinr^

by the present i/rrlter*

• by Waddeli^ p. IS.

I

SCHOOLS OF TAXTRIC BUDDHISSl 73

niitiiri!, Iiy the utiioii of the terrible Ivnli, not only with the Dhyaiii Biiddlms, hut even with Adi-Buddha him¬ self. In this ivay Atli-Buddlia, by meditation evolves a ]>rofieative energy by wliieh tlie awful Sanibhara and otiier dreadful Dak ini fieaidesses, all of the Kali-type, obtain spouses as fearful as themselves, yet spouses who are regarded us reflexes of Adi-Buddha and tlie Dhyani Buddhas, And these demoniacal * Buddhas', under the name of Kakn^aki-a, Heruka, Aeliala, Vajra- bhairava, etc., are credited with powers not inferior to those of tlie celestial Buddhas themselves, and with¬ al ferocious and blood thirsty ; and only to be con¬ ciliated by constant worship of themselves and their . female energies, with offerings and sacrifices, magic circles, special mantra-chanm, etc. ” ‘

From what is said here about tbe Kala-cakra-yana I it seems that it is also a phase of Vajra-yana with a I predoiiiinance of the terrible gods and goddesses whom / IVaddell has styled as the ‘demoniacal Buddhas’. But we do not understand tlie relation of this terrible aspect of Tantrie Buddhism with the iianie Kala-cakra 1 given to it. The word Kala-cakra ineatis the wheel of I time. Its Tibetan synonjmi “*Dus-Kyi-’ K’or-lo” also means tlie circle of time. MM. H. P. Sastri explains the word in the following way;—“What is Kala-cakra-yana ? The word Kala means time, death and destruction. Kala-cakra is the wheel of destruction, and Kala-cakra-yana means the vehicle for protection against the wlieel of destruction. ” *

AVe have at our disposal a text of the title of 5rl- fidla-cafcra-taiiira. ’ As far as our knowledge of the Buddhist Tantrie texts goes, we have not found any

\ other text belonging to this Kala-cakra class. A study of the text does not confirm the statement that Kala- cakra-yana is that school of Tantrie Buddhism which

• JK 131^ ' ~ ' '

• -Iforfrrfi etc* Intm., p. 8,

• Prescrvird lit the Cambridge University Librury fCaiiibnd?e

MS. Add. No, iQfjj).*

O.P, 105—10

74

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

introduced the demoniacal Buddhas in its fold,—^at least it is not the main characteristic tlirDugh which the school should be recognised. In the heginning of the text we find that King Sueandra approached the Omniscient Lord Buddha with salutation and asked of him the yoga of the ^ri-kata-cakra which is the wa}* * to salvation of all people of the Kali age, ’ Then the Lord replied that this secret of yoga is unknown to all, it is a system of Yoga which, with all its accessories of Maiidala (magic circle) and consecration (ahfiise/i'a), is explained within this very body, and the Lord then explained how all the universe with all its objects and localities are situated in the body and hov? time with all its varieties daj’, night, fortnight, month, year, etc.) ■ are all within the body in its processes of the vital wind (pTdno-t'aj^ii). ’ In the body of the text Sahaja has been fully explained and the details of the sexo- yogic practices for the attainment of the Sahaja have also been described. The only thing that strikes the reader is the stress given to the control of the vital winds (prdna and apdna) and to the results attained therefrom ; we find detailed discussions of how even the different diseases are to be cured by the control of this Frona and 4pana. This theory of Kala-cakm has verj' soundly been discussed in the sixth chapter of the Tanfra-foka of Abhinava-gupla and a perusal of tlie [text w'iH convince the reader that the explanation of KuJa-cakra as given in the $ri-kata-cakra-tantra is jast the same as described in the Tantra-fota, The whole chapter of the Tantra-loka is devoted to the exposition of the doctrine of Kala (time) and the process of keep¬ ing oneself above the influence of the whirl of time. Ilere also time (kaffl) in alt its phases (day, night, fortnight, month, year, etc.) has been explained W'itli reference to the functions of the vital wind (praiia and

' MS. {Ciirabndgc Add. Nti, ISSl) p, 1(B).

• dchamadhyc iamastatti^pyiilthyaiiiitii&ridni i^xin'a nnm^

iitaijdntfim ca'bhisekitm |l * /fti'd., p. 1(1)),

^_ SCHOOLS OF TAKTRIC BUDDHISM 75

apunei) spread through the whole nervous system, and the process of eontrollijig time is to control tlie vital >vind in the nerves througli yogic practices.

The nature of Lord Sri-kala-eakra becomes clear from the entitled

the Here he is saluted as of the nature

of fluuyaia and Karuna; in him there is the absence of tlie origination and destruction of the three worlds, tic is an unihcatiou of tlie knowledge and the know- able; goddess Pnijfia, who is both with form and without form, is embraced by hint; he is bereft of origination and cliange,—he is immutable bliss bereft of ail lower pleasure ; he is the father of the Buddhas, possessing the three Kayos, the knower of the three times (i.c., the past, present and future), the Omni¬ scient,—the ultimate and original Buddha—the* non¬ dual Lord. By an examination of these descriptions . of the Sri-kala-cakra it will be found that there is no i difference between the conception of this Lord Sri-kala- eakra and the Lord \'ajra-sattva described hereafter. ' Again the aim of the Kaia-calira-tantra as professed here Is no mundane benefit; on the other hand, like all other Buddhist Tantras it also professes the attain¬ ment of perfect enhghtennierit, not only for the self but for all the beings, to be the final aim.

That the conception of Kala-caki'a is substantially | the same as the conception of Vaira-sattva and tliat ! Kala-cakra-yana is not a distinct school of Tantric Buddhism, but a particular tiamc for the Vajra-yana school, will be clear also from the text Sekodthsu-fikaj ' wiiieh Is a comiiicntary on the Sekoddesa section of the Kala-cakra-iantra. There it is said that the ultimate immutable and uncliaugcable one, remaijiing in the sky¬ like dharma-dhatu (the element underlying all the d/iarmas) is called KiiUt; U itself is the itnmutable know-

' G.O.fi. — £(I. by AL1H0 E. Carelli, Dr. Litt.

TANTRIC BUDPnTSM

t6

ledge, Cakra implies the unity of the tliree kinds of existence—the manifestation of Kah, It (the Ctifrre) is the body of the Lord—point-Uke, containing the potency of the existence of the universe, Kala-cakra, therefore, implies exactly the same as tlie unity of Prajna and Vpaya. *

Every' syllable of the word Kala-eakra is said to be pregnant with a meaning. Thus, the syllable ‘ ka ’ means causality fkarana), Ma’ means ‘cosmic re- absorption^ ffnya), ‘ca* means the unsteady mind, ami ‘ kra ' means the series of event or the process. * KtiJ-o, therefore, means the slate of absorption in the original cause-potency', this is the state of Sunyata ; it is tiie pure consciousness or the principle of subjectivity, * Cakra on the other hand means tlie principle of knou- ability, or the cy'cle of tlic workl-process (jneyd-kdram jagac-cakram jneyam traidhdtukam ananta-bhdva- laksaHain cnkraiii), which is also the principle of Updya. Kala-eakra, therefore, means the absolutely unified principle of Prajna and Updya.’' We shall presently see that the conception of the Lord Vajru- sattva, the Godhead of Tanlric Buddhism, is also exactly the same. Sometimes we find in tlie 'Kdla- cakra-tantra salutation to Lord ^rl-kala-cakra in the very manner in which Lord \’^ajra-sattva, the Lord Supreme, is saluted in most of the Buddhist Tantras. ‘ This Krda-cakra is the Bodhieittu; lie is the ultimate

• Stlroddefu^ilkat p. 6. Cj« 

hi Tu il rfi^ fr h thv rti^rupim \

^inyntfi-caHTtim itfj ukhuh kiihi~tfjkro*dx^ayu^hamh ||

^ kiiFiinir UiktWi! vm \

ctiktiTiic kmkarat krnmti-hfindhanmh ||

lhid,j p, S,

• As fur tile unification nf PmjM and Viniifii sec injm.

• mnnu^ te kidu-aikmfjn hfamytl

jfiuna-hfiya nitmo*ia nh.) ffitf tr !|

ittm ^ckcna iftv umhu firtiMuUim kum xiimjinitim |‘ etc*

SCHOOLS OF TAXTHIC BUDDHISM T7

imnuitable substance in the form of motionless great bliss (ada^i/o-ma/iasMA*/ifl). '

I The Saliujiya school is an,offshoot of Vajra-yana, i There is no exclusive literature belonging to Sahaja- I 3*ana,—on the other hand, the Sahajiya poets of the I Dohas anil songs recognise the welt-knovvEi texts of Vajjra-yana as their authority. The exponents of the ' Sahajiya school put the whole emphasis on their pro¬ test against the formalities of life and religion. Truth is something which can never be found tfirougli mere austere practices of disctplitiCj neither can it he realised tlirougli much reading and philosophising, or through tasting, bathing, constructing images and worshipping gods and goddesses and the innumerable other pura- I phernalta of rites and rituals prescribed in Vajra-yana ;

it is to be intuited within in the most unconvenlional , \ way through the initiation in the Tattvn and the prac¬ tice of yoga. This makes the position of the Sahajiyas distinct from that of the ^'ajra-yanists in general.

The name Sahaja-yana seems to be doubly sigtuh- cant; it is Sahaja-yana because, its aim is to realise the ultimate innate nature (sahaja) of the self as well as of the dbarmas, and it is Sahaja-yana also because of the fact that instead of suppressing and thereby inflicting undue strain on the human nature it makes man realise the truth in the most natiu-al way, — i,e„ by adopting the path through which the human nature itself leads him. What is natural is the easiest; and thus Sahaja, from its primary meaning of being natural acquires the secondary meaning of being easy, straight or plain. As

mlktiTfi en ttirnkrtir bhd^nvut} pmjM |

ksfim~stikho hiih'ifh^iU-mukhyf}-j}hiteih budtih'^rifiin iri-k^UfJ-^i^kittfk trnikidya^tmvrdakahl

.YfinMTjNaA vututi: tinn |l

He^inning id iha-. f^j*hu~kdia-cukm-tanirii~Til]adjk(i (cMititkcl Vimnlu-pnthhd^ MS. R.A..S«Bi. No. 4727)^

As Tor ihe tc Lord Viijra-Sdttvit scu Ch. 1V« 

^ B, uhot p.

•rs

tantkic buddhism

the Sahajiya school has been studied by the present writer in a comprehensive way in another work, entitled Obscure Cidts jIs Background Of Bengaii

Literature^ he does not propose to deal with it into further detail here.

(B) General Characteristics Of Vajra-yana

Vajra-yana or the ' Adamantine way * * is really the way or means for tlie realisation of the Vaji'a-nature or the immutable and impenetrable void-nature of the self as well as of the dharoias. ’ But the scope and characteristics of ^^ajra-yana have not been satisfac- loril}’ explained in any of the Taiitric texts. The ^ri- samd;a, wdiieh is credited by some to be the earliest authoritative text on Vajra-yana, explains Vajra-yana as the means which has recourse to the five families {hulas) of the Bodinsattvas, viz., Moha (presided over by Vairociina with his Sakti Vajradhatvisvari), Dvesa (presided over by Aksobhya with his Sakti Locana), Kdga (presided over by Ainitabha with his Sakti Pamlara), etc.; but these kulas have alwa^'s their foundation on the Vajra or the sdnyatd, ’ Thus, accord¬ ing to the 5n-saiMd/«, the school that grew with the system of the five families, the Kulas, of the Bodhi- vSattvas is the Vajra-yana school. In the Sadhana- mala we find some characteristics of Vajra-yana ex¬ plained -in connection with the Sadkana of Vajra- tard. Here the Sadhaka takes the resolution before the Cakra of the goddess that he will remove all the evils (papa) in him—will hold in high regard all the merits (ku^ala) of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Aryas (tlic reverend) and of all the Prthag-janas (ordinary men)— will develop all his merits which will lead him to Irujiscendental (crtuffara) perfect enlightenment (sam-

' T;* infra, Cll. IV.

• ifmho iJvriffJt tilikii mdtt vajre rntth |

SCHOOLS OF TANTRIC BUDDHISM

79

bodhi) ; he will take refuge tn Buddha, the supreme one of all men,—to Dkarma including the whole Mahayana, to the Sahgha ,—^the assembly of the immu¬ table Bodhisattvas i he will attain transcendental per¬ fect enlightenment for all the beings—for their goofl,— for their itappiness,— for establishing them in the ele¬ ment of nfruena and in the wisdom of the Buddhas,—* and for all these lie is going to adopt the path of trans¬ cendental perfect enlightenment,—and that path is the Vajra“ 3 ^ana, ^ In another place also, the attainment of Bodhi through all the seemingly unmeaning practices, rites, ceremonies, mantras and meditation is professed to be the aim of Vajra-yana. ’ In the Jnana-siddhi of Indrabhuti it has been said that the Vajra-yana has been explained in innumerable j/oga-tanfras, those fools who do not know of it whirl in tlic sea of exist¬ ence. ^ Vajra-yana is compared to the raft by wliich one is to cross the ocean of existence, which is full of the snares of false subjectivity. * In the Guhya- siddhi of Padmavajra Vajra-yana is characterised as the transcendental path which is the unity of all the religions, tiie docLrines of \'ajra-yana arc the most secret;—is a religion of non-substanliulily aufl purity,—it has got no parallel. ‘

But all these are mere cursorj’ descriptions iicme of which suggests any correct definition of Vaira-yauu. In fact, Vajra-yana cannot be defined ; for it incorpor¬ ated within it so many heterogeneous elements and

rij/Tfl-yArKim [

>9r1r/hnnil-v}ia?3, Voh 1, p. 225.

^ SAdAnna-ninfa, Vol. II, }i. I21.

• Kfljrn-yarfJ IFofAfS, p. 31 (6,0,S.I. *

fajra-ynnrin’} sttriiiiriiliya ko I'B parti if i ||

i&iil., p. 4)8.

• ..flniJltantfpnl

ifnmi-rfAtiTWid-.iiirfifiSrafrai/j yat tvaya bhasitath prttbhir j|

fill tf(f A Aliya i.'r<lifn4e yosya no'pumS j| {juAiya-inJJAi, MS. p.

80

TAXTRIC BUDDUISM

practices that nii 3 ’^ attempt at strict defjiutiotv must be futile. We oceasiuiuvlly find itul all (he six Tantrie prac¬ tices techiiically known as abhicara, vix., inarnwfl (i.e., killing), mohnna (enchuntiiig), stcimb/iana (paralysing), tfiducsana (rendering harm through animosity), ucca- tana (removing or driving away) and vasl-harana (sub- duing), carried on with the purpose of fulfilling the sel¬ fish desires. Again, there arc the elaborate methods of worshipping the gods and goddesses, making their images or paintings, clianting of the gathas (verses) and the Mantras, the culture of the poramitris, the application of the Madras, and drawing the mystic circles, the practices of Hatha-yoga as well as of the contemplative yoga-system found in the canonical texts like the Visnddhi-magga, etc,, and last hut not the least, the sexo-yogic Tantrie practices,' We need not here enter into the detail of these heterogeneous practices, the mere enumeration and illustration of which are not likely to throw any light of any kind. Let us onl 5 " notice here how these innumerable practices have been given a Buddliistic colouring.

In spite of this heterogeneity of elements the most striking feature of Vajra-yana, wliidi justifies the general name given to it, is the use and function of the idea of Vajra. Vajra, as we sha ll presently see, is the

• Oftet] we Hnd mention of the rules of strict discipline, Sc

devclopmctit of the pomwiffijf, but ofleii the Vajra-yanisls declare that there cannot be anything evil for the Vajra-yanist,—no work not to be done,—no food not to be taken, no woman not to be enjov^. Often It IS rather commended that a Vnjra-yanift Bhoiild steal the nro- periies of others, always tell the lie, kill all the beings, cat everythine should enjoy nil women, whatever relation she mav be. pHTti-sva-haTanam ktiryiit \

valctavyaih ca rnrsa-vfthinm •tirva-buimutt c« ghataij^-l |/

tu hkatc»fii.hhah>iaD tolhmVn euf pitfa-neyatn tathQ tauntr1 kunpin vatvtt tinmabitnh fl MS, fC.L.B, No, 131 ® 4 ) p. SOfAl tf. also Srignfti/o.mmil/o.fonUfl, p. ISs, p. pg, p, gO elc,

(G O S I

• t p” of Saiis-Buddhist SlSS. i,I R.a.sJ!,'

SCHOOLS OF TANTRIC BUDDHISM

81

void —and in Vajra-yana everything is

^ ajra^— t.e., pei'fect void. In worshipping a god, the god is thought of as of the Vajra-nature, his image is Vajra, —^tlie worshipper is V^ajra, the materials of worsliip are Vajra, the maiitras arc Vajra,—the processes'are Vajra and everything is I'ajra. Tliis Vajra, as we have already said, often serves as the stamp of the Vajra- yana. In the Kriyd-samgTaha-na7na~ paiijika the names of the goddesses are generally Vajra-rilpim, Vajra- bhdskari, Vajra-humkafi, Vajra-vildsinl, Vajra-mohmlj Vajra-khecan, Vafrasani, Vajra-ra$am, Vajra-trdsanit Vajra-sparsim, Vafra-cetanl, Vajra-virdsini, Vajra- vika^im, etc. ’ It should also be noticed that the supreme goddess is also called Vajr^svafi, or Vajra- d/iafuisvori or Vajra-vdrdhi. In the rites and worships we find mention of the articles incense, lamp, conch- shell, bell, perfumes, flowers, garlands, sisaniuin (tda), grains (yaba), seat (asana), flag, jar, clotli, ornaments, fried paddy (iaja), unboiled rice (a/esata), offerings (arghya and un/ah), the five preparations from cow- milk (panca-gav^/a), the five sweets (panea-nirtc), etc., but all of them invariably bear the stamp of Vajra, * * There is laughing (hdsya), artistic gesture and move¬ ment music, dancing, playing on musical in¬

struments—everything of which is Vajra. IVe neetl not multiply the Instances. If we examine the Kriya- tamgraha we shall find nothing there which has not the determinant Vajra before it. Almost same is the case with the Sadhanas of the Sndhana-mdid. It was the peculiar idea of the Vajra-yanists that anything that bears the epithet vajra before it, necessarily leads one to the realisation of the void-nature of the self and the dharmas. We have seen that even the woman to be adoptefl for the yogic practices was called the vajra-kanyd or the * tliunder or, void girl,' and so it

• Ch. 111. MS. pp. 20-21.

• Vide Ibid., pp. 3S-'lrl), 40, plc,

Cf. uljw Hiiithnna-mtita, pp. tS-IS), 321 - 22 .

O.P. 103- U

82

TANTKIC BUDDHISM

is in the ftlness of things that the vehicle (yana) itself should be called the Vaira-yana.

It is very interesting to note how in tlie popular practices and worship of gods, goddesses and even of ghosts and spirits the ideas of Mahayana Buddhism lie interspersed* Thus in the selection of the ground for a monastery, forty gods and goddesses are to be meditated on and worshipped in the four quarters. These are,— Pramudita, Viniala, Prabhakan, /Ircismati, Sudurjaya, Abhimukhl, Durangitmd, Acala, Sdd/rtituafl and Dharmaviegha (i.e., the ten Bodhisattuu-bhiimis) in the east facing th ewest; again the ten gods of the nature of the ten paramitdSt vix-t Dana (charity), ifi/n (good-conduct), Ksanti (forbearance), Virya (energy)t Dhya7ia (meditation), Prajnd (wisdom), Updya (means), Pranidki (concentration), Bafa (strength) and Ja&iia (knowledge) in the south ; again ten in the west facing the east, viz., Aynk (life), Ciffo (mind), Pan»- Mra (cleanliness), Karma (deed), Upapatti (birth), Siddhi (perfection), Abhhnukti (that which is facing perfection), Pranidhano (concentration), JMna (know¬ ledge), and Dhamta-‘Va§itd (control of the dftarmas) ; and ten goddesses in the North facing the South of the nature of the ten Dhdranis,—viz., Fasamati, Ratnaslkd, Vsnim-vijayd, Mdrici, Parna-mvarl, Aneka- mukhi, JdngHli, Cundd and Prajnd-vardhinl, Sarva- buddha-krosath ^ In the description of gods and god¬ desses we find that as they hold Vafra (thunder), Khadga (sword), Pdsa (noose), Padma (lotus), etc., so also they hold Pru/fia-pwstflka (tlie book of knowledge), Bodhi-vrksa (the tree under which knowledge was obtained), etc. In connection with making the bricks for constructing the house it lias been said that Uie brick must be tliought of as a mass of nectar and then it should be sprinkled w'ith the auspicious water of the jar and worshipped with the five presents (panco-

• Krtyu-ati iit^raha-fH tna-pa HjihA.

MS, pp, y-7.

SCHOOLS OF TaXTRIC BUDDHISM 83

pahara) and thus it should be purified ; and then they should be meditated on as follows:—This whole world is of the nature of the Tathagatas ; the Tathagatas are of the nature of essencelessness—^and therefore, the whole world is also of the nature of essencelessness. ”'

In the Sad/ianas of the Krit/d-$amgraha in the form of worship and the muttering of various Mantras the fundamental aim of producing the Bodhieitta and of relieving the whole world is not lost sight of. Here also we find that through all the Mantras, Mudra and Mandula and all other rites and ceremonies the Sddfiaka is bent on realising Llie nature of his citta as luminous by nature (prafcrfi-prahhosuorfl), as the im¬ mutable v'oid (un/ra) ; after the realisation of the self as the void, he identities himself with all the objects of the world and becomes one with all.' Even in constructing tlie image of a god an d in establishing it with religious ceremony and in worshipping it wdth all the elaborate parapliernalia the aim is professed to be the attainment of the Bodhieitta.

If we analyse the Sodhanas of the Sddhetna- 7nald, we shall see that the ideas of Buddhism are inters spersed with polytheistic idolatrj'. Let us, for instance, examine the Ka/rd-sana-sddhanmn. Here, first, tlie Lord Supreme should be tliought of with the five Tathagatas, and then dowers are to be offered. Then the dve Tathagatas and their $aktis are to be saluted and flowers, incense, lamp, and other offerings are to be presented to them. Then the Sadhaka is to meditate on the four Bmli ma-ui7tdras, e.g., universal friendship (marfrJ), universal compassion (karund), self-content- merit (niiidifd) and absolute indlfferenee (upe/csd). Then he should think in his heart the lunar disc trans¬ formed into the letter ‘ a' and on that the syllable

' ttithagala yal-ntabfidvag tiit-mnbfmvtim i/iirtft jagat] hitlifigato iii/i~>vitbhiivairi ifittpj) ftigiit y

ftifd.,' JUS. p. 21.

^ fbifi.i pp« 45^30m

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

at

‘ Jiurii * of the colour of gold and then think of the Guru, Buddhas and the Bodhiisatlvas enmnating from the rays of that * hum These Guru, Buddha and Bodhisattvas should then he worshipped ; then follow the confession of sins anti tlie acceptance of the merits ; then follow the taking shelter to the three jewels, e.g,, Buddha, Dharma and Sahgha, and the adoption of the path followed by the Jinas (the self-conquered) and then the production of the Bodhicittu. Then follows tlie meditation on the void (sitni^ata), and tlien the realization of the nature of all the dharmas as essence- less and the realization of the self as luminous, of the form of the iiiiniulable Bo<ihicitta ; for the stabiUzation of this state the following Mantra should be chanted,—^ “ Naturally pure are all the dhartnas, and by nature pure am I I *’ After Lins follow the other details of the Sadhana^ * This in general is the nature of many of the iSadhanas that are collected in the Sadhana-miild, It

• SuJhdiia'iNQfd, Vcl. I fd.O.S.Ji IS-lBi In the

wc find that first of fill Lo^ Khasarpaiin, shouW he saluted and -trorrliipped; llien the Sitdhaka should confess his $Ld before the Lord and tcike the vow thnt tic wilt follow the merits of the Buddhas, the son of the Buddhas (i.c., the Bodhisattvas), the reverend ones and others and develop them to perfect cnlightcaincDt; then as usual he takes refuge in the three jewels of Buddha, DhoTHin and Sahgha, Then he takes the reBctntion of producing the BexJhicitta lor the well-being and deliverance of aU, and adopts the path followed by the Sugfitas and their followers. Then lie should think of the world of static and dynamic as all void and place himself in the void with the Mantra, *oni 1 am of the nature of the immutable knowledge of the \oid,' Then be should realise that all the dhanmt nre pure by nature nod he tcio is pure by nature and then he should read, ♦Naturally pure are all the dftannas, pure am t by nature—«»»cn 1’ Then the Sddhttka should realise himself os pure consciousness (r'ljjjdmi-Tnufni-fmni-ft) and then think ol a iatiis of the colour of the uni vers* (in'^rn-ria/mz-frunialn) transformed as the syllable spain' and OP that a clear lunar disc emonuting from the letter *a' aud on that the syllable *hTlh' whiclt is rodiating rays which cover the sky; and then see all these terms formed into a full-blown, variously decorated lulus with its seed within. Then the self should be medi¬ tated on as the transformation of all these and as the Lord himself; and then follows the list of the gods and goddesses with the detail of their descriptions and the order in which they should be meditated mi by the either side of the Lord with their bf/os and Mantras, etc.

SCHOOLS OF TANTBIC BUDDHISM

85

is remarkable that many of the Mantras here are nothing but the weU-knoivn doctrines of Afahdjfdna Buddhism with tlie addition of an ‘ orii ’ or ‘ phat * or

• svaha \ etc., ’ with them. Another reniarkabte feature

of these Sadhanas is the construction of the mental images of the lunar and the solar discs with the scheme of the colours and the various lotuses often with full decorations forming the canvas, as it were, for the objects of meditation ; this seems to be signi- hcant from the yoga point of view.

• The most gtnerai Mantras, as we have abeady noticed, are;—

(i) om

(ii) oift svobJidi'fi-rfuddhSfi sorva-d/uirjHfilt nrabhaun-iuddho'liani | In addition other Mantras like—

(i) ojii iiaTVa-tat}uigat&-tVfttko’ham \

(ill oni dAonna-d/iatU'S'L'abMi'f-fn'rakn’ftomI etc. are also found.

CHAPTER IV

THE THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTEIC BXTDDHISTS

We have said in a previous chapter Liiat the most important and the most interesting study in the Bud- dliist Tantras is that of the gradual transformation of Mahayanic ideas into an esoteric theology and the association of liie esoteric Yogie practices with them. We repeat here that it may not he a fact that the prac¬ tices are there solely because of this theology ; on the contrary we are inelijied to postulate great influence of these practices in evolving the doctrinal theology through the gradual transformation of the ^lahayanic ideas. Let us now have some idea about the transform¬ ation of some of the main Mabayanic thoughts into Tantric esoterisni.

(1) Vajra And Vajrasattva.

In the transformation of the ideology of Maha- yana into Vajra-yana the first thing to note is tlie trans¬ formation of the idea of ^Dnyata into the idea of Vajra. The word Vajra, commonly rendered as the thunderbolt, is taken here to connote the immutable adamant¬ ine nature of the dharums. It has been said,— “ Sunyata, which is firm, substantial, indivisible and impenetrable, incaj>al}le of being burnt and imperish¬ able, is culled Vajra, ” ‘ To realise the ^*ajra nature of things is, therefore, to realise the ultimate void nature of things. Some of the most important Man¬ tras of tlie V'ajra-yanisls arc,—“ I am of the adaman¬ tine nature, xvhich is Sunyata-knowledge. ” * “ All the

' dplham [

ndiihi aviticlii ca ifinyatS vajram iicynte -j

p, 87 (G^O.S.),

C/. (ibfi^dyirrri vajrara MS. p. 2(A).

Cf. Vajrnrti fly unlaid, J vStii uri mfl

tflnfm- MS., U.Sf., No. 47, p. 1(B).

theological POSITIOX OF THE TANTElC BUDDHISTS 87

dkarmos are of the adainantine nature, I am also of tlie adamantine nature, ” '

We liave seen before tliat the word \'ajra-yana, which is the name for Tatitrie Buddhism in general, really means the Sunyata-yana—the path of void which is the adamantine path. We have also seen that this Vajra served as the stamp, as it were, of the Tantrie Buddhists, showing thereby that the aim of the Vaira-yanists in and through aU the paraphernalia of Mantras and Tantras was nothing but the realisatjon of the adamantine void-nature of the self and the not- self.

Who is then the Vajra-sattva? Ue is the Being of adamantine substance—the ultimate principle as the unity of the universe. It has been said,—“ By vajra is meant Sunyat^ and by aattua is implied pure con¬ sciousness ; the identity of the two follows Eroin the nature of Vajra-sattva.’'* Here it seems that the ultimate principle of the Vijiianavadins as pure con¬ sciousness (utplapti-mafratfl), which is pure know¬ ledge and as such identical with Sfuiyata in the form of the absence of subjectivity and objectivity, is the Vajra-sattva. It has again been said, “ Sunyatl is said to be Vajra, asid all manifestation in form is said to be sattva; Vajra-sattva implies tlie unity and the identity of the two. In other words Llie Vajra-sattva is the AbAnfa-panfcaipa of the Vijiianavadins, where both Siinyata and the world-manifestation remain un¬ recognisably unified. But the fundamental departure of the Tan’tric Buddhists from the standpoint of the VijMnavailin Buddhists is that the ultimate principle

• vajTA-tmnKa^ vajTU-UnakG^haml

• vdjrfiift snttviina

finayQh mddh^ith ]|

^ jra^ViUTii adffi'am

iHdafuttjmf* flfiiiyor flifcyaTji lii il

MSi SaaSi No» 4 ^^

p. 1(B).

88

TAXTRIC BUDDHISM

of the Vajra-yanbts, Jinwevei* negativety it might have sometimes been deserihed, vvas tacitly conceived and more often frankly described as a Being—sometimes as the personal God, the Lord Supreme, Tliougli the A'ajra-sattva is free from all existence and non- existence, he, nevertheless, is endowed with the potency of all form and existences and is himself the embodi¬ ment of loveliness. ‘

This Vajra-sattva, as the Lord Supreme of the Tan trie Buddhists, representing a monotheistic con¬ ception of ttie Godhead, has variously been described in the Buddhist Tantras with all sorts of positive and negative attributes. He is the Bbagavan as lie possesses all the six excellences; or he is called the Bhagavan as he possesses bhaga which means that which breaks or re¬ moves; Sunyata or Prajna removes all afflictions and drives away the jVdra and so sunyata is called the bha¬ ga. * He is saluted as the Sunyata-essence, transcending all imagination, omniscient, embodiment of pure wis¬ dom. ’ He is the abode of all merits and is of the nature of all the beings. * He is the Being w'ithoul origination and destruction, the all-good, the soul-substance of all, the enlightened oni^—including in him ail the static and the dynamic. * Perfect knowledge is his only eye, he is the stainless embodiment of knowledge, pure, all- pervading, the subtle seed (of all creation), the immutabie. * He eternally belongs to all the elements, to all tlie beings—he remains pervading all the borltes in the form of the flow of consciousness (c/t#fl-d#iara) ;

• Viijr^-sativah maintitah |[

Piium-hraTna^ MS, 27 (A>.

^ bhanjnfmm bhagam ftkhy/^tnm klF»ii^ttuim^di-bhfinjnndt\ pruju&rbttdhyfii ca Uklems immai prajM bhago^^yutr || li fv*i jra-t ant rat

• Pmjno-pijyu-vtniscaya-iiiddhi, Ch. Ill, Verse U.

^ Ibid., Ch. y, Vi^rae 45.

^ p.

• jHoTiaika-eaksur nmato jndnn^imirth tathagat^Jih\

niiikahh tarvago vytipt snhmm-v\jnm finfiiravafy ||

Quoted hi ihc Ch* XW

THEOLOGICAL POSITlOX OF THE TANTTtlC BUDDHISTS 89

he is Lmniistabk^ uiithinkabie, pure, passioulcssi perfect void like tlie sky, free from existence and non¬ existence. * He is sonietirncs spoken of as of the nature of infinite I>liss {mahasukha) ; this, we shall see later on, is a great innovation which moulded the whole Tantric system in a dilTerent form. *

The idea of the Dharnm-kaya Buddha, discussed before, may be reealled in eonriection with this idea of the V^ajra-^sattva. The Dharnia-kaya of tiie Maha- yanists seenis to have been replaced by this Vajra-sattva or the Vajra-kaya of the \-ajia-yanists. The Vajra- kaya has often been identified w^ith the Dharma-kaya,

^ quot^ in the JflfliKi-jridpJhi, p.

Descriptions of I his type abound in the BitddhLt Tfltitras. In the

the Lord Vaji-a-sattv^i is saluted as the Lord Ip be realised by the uidi\idiia1 soul, the Lord without parallel. alUmovidg, alLpm'adiiig, the only doer* the only destroyer* the Lopd Supreme over the world, the revealer of potentialitiesi—

sarufi^ftA ^{iTVU-iiiapi ca htTla Aarfu [|

^rhmdn vyakta-bhuva-prak^iihah]

MS., C.L.B., p. aifA).

Elsewhere he is saluted iis the Siuiyata-cssencc* free from all con¬ structive imagination, producing right knowledge i he is perfect wisdom personified, he Is Ihe remover of iilusion, the peacher nf the pure Iruth, bc^m of the ttou-essenrial nature of the dhnrmnis; he l§ Bodhi- eiUa. from him come all the perfectly enlightened ones, all the Bodhisaitvaji, all truth and all the highest moral %irtues. He repTC>- sents the three jew^cfsi the great way tg salvatiqn, the reality in all the static and the dynamic, he ia nil thnt are I he transforiuatigns of the three elements*—

tramaif ^unifiitu-garbha Burvo~mHkalpii~\-ur}ita\

/liana-jnfirfr tii te H

ja^itd-ajfiana-vhchefJA iuddha-t<ittvo-ftha-di^dfikah | dhnT^r^a^nriir^7f/ui/a^Ku^MhAfi{fi Visjra^Miiiva riama^ iu fc [| rafiia-fruyuih pnaAdt^Aiitiwj tatti:a-sthfivam-]anfiQmiim[ tmi-dhatjihim idmh mrvadi pugnd-riffl naniru fu fe L pSfunpurikfj, MS. (R.A.S^B. No, ■tSS4),» p. 12(B)*

vajru-itattvn iti khtjatmU pftmm ifttkhmn udilhrtam || »vaynmbhu-nqmm ctat in dAoniur-^'ui/n-^tigrilpaAgni | tOAijiuiLiU prnjw si hit H Uid^dta-rHpiiif [|

tbid,^ MS* p* 4S{B).

^ ad etihm surt'fidd

unddi-nidAunuh aoliro vairu-suttvah idiram mikhovi ||

Quoted in the Ch* XV^

C}\ also,—.idirfl yU'Srt p«n P/fl ^

0*P* 105—12

90

TANTBIC BUDDHISM

but often this Vajra-kaya has been conceived as a fourth body added to the three kayas of the Maha- yanists ; in the Sahajiya sect, or the Sahaja-yana, which is a mere offshoot of the Vajra-yana, the Vajra-sattva or the Vajra-kaya has been transformed into the Saliaja-kaya, whicli is decidedly a fourth body con¬ ceived above the Dharma-kaya.

A little thought over the nature of the Vajra-sattva discussed above will reveal that the conception of this Vajra-sattva is almost the same as the monistic con¬ ception of the godhead variously conceived in Hindu¬ ism. It is a welt-known fact that Mahayana Buddhism was gradually coming closer and closer to the Upanisad- ic ideas and that many Vedantic ideas were tacitly implied in the Sunyavada and Vijhanavada doctrines. Wc Lave also hinted before how the Mahayanic idea of the Dharma-kaya came nearer to the Idea of a mono¬ theistic godhead In popular faith. But w’bat was tacitly implied in Maiiayana was fully developed, consciously or unconsciously, by tlic Vajra-yattists. Ttie monistic conception of the Brahman is already there in the conception of the Dharma-kiiya Buddha, and this conception finds its full expression in the con¬ ception of the Vajra-sattva, who is pui'e consciousness purged off of all the impurities of subjectivity and objectivity ; he is pervading the whole universe—the inner principle of all dharmas —the unity in diversity ; he is a Being of infinite wisdom and merit, possessing universal compassion—he is the Lord Buddha.

As a matter of fact, this Vajra-sattva is generallv taken in the Buddhist Tantias as the Supreme Being and many of the Tantras begin with salutations to this Lord Supreme in terms which are equally applicable to the Brahman also,* It is also interesting to note

» Cf. Iht sulutatioQ at the beginninf; of the Prtjtfa-frrauin: — tTirrfr^'ci-rFtHfrlwn a-^samaftnltim nfirva-bhai'a-

dnrvic^rmti sva-fmm-hitiitammh vyUpinuth nh-

ninHtfam]

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHTSTS 91

tliat all the Btitidhtst Tatitras of the Sahgftt-type * open with a galaxy of the Buddhas, Bodliisattvas aiul in¬ numerable other heavenly, terrestrial as well as ghostly beings assembled to listen to the words of the Lord Supreme, who is none but the Vajra-sattva.'

The most striking feature of Vajra'-yana associated witli tlie conception of the \^ajra-sattva is the import¬ ance attached to the self. According to the Upanisads, tlic Brahman, who is both immanent and transcendent, is to be realised within as tiie self. Braiuna-realisation really means the realisation of the self as tiie Brahman, The Buddhist Tantras also say that the Sadhaka, who realises the Vajra-suttva, himself becomes the Vajm- 'sattva. To realise the ’^’'ajra-sattva is to realise that all existence is nothing hut Sunyata in its pure nature ; but once the SMhaka becomes endowed with this wisdom tlirough his realisation, he becomes the Vajra-

tSuddham idntath viviktam paTa}»a~iicaniaifam yogmilm fvtt

gamyam, «tc.

I’f, Also ,—numo vttjra-sattvaya} pmiiipntyn jagttn^n&tbtnh sarv/t-jinavarit-rcitam \ xurvadniddhattiaiiam Mddhi^'L'yAphMtR gAgafio-paniani || ran'attmri HnriMijnam I'nravdfriqdni |

hhaktya'hani sansa-hftavnm vah^yy tut-tddhanaiit param |j JiiSTia-siddhif Ch. I, Verses 1-2.

Cj. ilfso,—the snlutatiurifi at the begtbiii.n^ of Advaya-siddhi (MS. C.L.B, No, 13124), Tativn-fiddhi (MS, C.L.B, No. 13124),

{MS. C.L.B, 13124), C(i(ur-mu«/rd (MS. C.L.B. 13124), P^Tfrol^dl)lt-Ar^<'ihoT^a-w^dnr (MS. B.A.S.B, No. 4937), <S'o 4 f(jaR-n]MfioaT-hftoi'»-eotni (MS, K.A.S.B, No. 1074IB), etc.

' The h the tj^)* of Buddhist literature which invariably

oju-ns with an assembly of the faithful devotees to whom Lord Buddha would preach all truth, and this type of Uterature also invariably opens With a ssentcnce like this: — ev«m may& ^mtatii ekajuntn ;9(irniijfe. etc. (t'/. Pali Text-book Society.) These Buddhist

Tantraa are called the Ituddba-varanm (or tlie sayings of the Buddha) and til Tibetan translations they form an important port of the Kaijgyur eoliection while tlie translations of tlie texts, which are composed by the Buddhist .Veiu-yas themselves, farm part of the Tangyur collection. <

• Vf, sania mrva-buddha^bodhiiiutiianAtn mn'ii-tiUkilgatinath ca

sd rra bhagatiin mahy-vuira-dharah farva-buddhu-iSiinQ-dhipalir itj|

Sri-guhifasain&jQ, Ch. XVH.

92 taktbic buddhism

satLva. He is also called the Muha-sattva as he is full of the bliss of infinite knowledge; and as he is always engaged in the right method of religious observances (samnyei), he is called the Samaya-sattva ; as he is eternally a.^ociated with the disciphnary practices for the attainment of wisdom, he is called the Bodhi- sattva, and as associated with perfect wisdom, he is called the Jnana-sattva.' It is emphaticaUy said in the Jnana-siddhi that our Bod/i?'-mind, which is of the nature of the Vajra, is itself the Buddhaliood; so Buddhahood should be realised tlirough conceiving all things as the self ’ In such a stage a man realises him¬ self in all things, everywhere, in all aspects, by all means and for all time, and he realises the miivc^alised self as the universal perfectly enlightened one.’ This leaUsalion of the self as the highest being is the reali¬ sation of the self as God (devata) and the process is lechnicallv called the suadfii-ffaivata-j^oja^.* It is fre¬ quently prescribed that the self should be realised as God and then it should be worshipped with all the usual rites and rituals/ In the l*rajnopayQ-viniscaya-siddhi it is said that the Lord is of the nature of all existence in the form of the Bodhicitta ; he is the Lord, the holder

‘ wfrftfdifflifi uujrmii rlj/ safluaTit 1

nilpujii 1 |

frorfhi-wiHv«in jpfjJsrfyrttf |

orHinii'jiiAnjf-JiwiDoiidifnf jfiflttfi-MrtUv’oji InfftfigHfu/j ||

^ MS, (R,A.S.B. No. 11317) p. a(A>.

• horfhfcpUrtW irfmii rn/niin AlriatPiditi: t

iitffTnlrHrt-j/Ojlfnn appnitc li

Ch, XV.

• Alin’dIm fftn-idJiih san’mfi wimiffcA sarv’nrfrt ni'uydiHl

{idrtvj-bNrf^IhflmovftpH niddham prapoifyafp ji

ibid., Ch. XV, V«K S2.

• Cf. ^rfnlh^daivaUl.yoge^»^ pparonm rfruirt I'ikflfpMifcf.

46)pfrfha«o-narrt. MS. (R.A.S.B. Nn. 1078(1) p. 7{A).

^ .fP'UP/rinidPPdii' j^oliy^pib'hrfPti |

(Vflrfhp-iliiiuflld-yogc'ippt nvp/wi dOdaDdfii pttipujatfft H

Ch. XV, Vpsrse 5*.

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTBIC BUDDHISTS 93

of Die lliuiiUer, and ihis self verily U God,’ It is found in most of these Siitlhana-s that gods and goddesses me first of all to be IhouglU of oft the solar or the lunar disc or on the lotus, but the whole group is then to be meditated on within as ideiUieal with the self. The

of the Panca-fcrmmn gives a very elear exposition of this theory of self^worship. The Yogin is first of all to meditate on the nature of the world, and through deep concentration of the mind to realise the nature of tlie phenomenal world as purely illusory ; then he is to realise the Vajia-sattva who is free from all the categories of existence and non¬ existence, who is endowed with all the forms, yet of whom no form can be conceived, and then it is added that to realise the self is to realise this \ ajra-sattva. The self is described here as the all-powerful, the uni¬ versal Butldhahood, and, therefore, it has been pres¬ cribed that with all care the self should always be worslupped,* All the Mantras and Mudras and Mandalas—everything should be applied to the worship of the self. The chapter concludes with the injunction that everything shoidd first of all be realised in its ^MYiytt/d-nature and then should be thought of as the self.* This realisation of the self in all as of the immutable and all-pervading nature is the sitadJnsfftnuu (aflirmation of the seif) and this svad/iwffttJnn is the secret of all Yogas/

With the evolution of the idea of the Vajra-sattva as tlie Lord Supreme there evolved a new pantheon in . Vajra-yana. The Vajra-sattva is the Primal Enlight-

' wj irn-t Iiii b ha Jffl»» frnJ h »CJt la-ina nl (a h I

an ifi'o bhoUBVfiw vnjri fa/rwifliJ fiOHafi’a rffualn |j

Ch. V. Vefsc 33.

tnsmat mn'tt-prnmtiti'fia hy rTfmiiwinn pii/ayt'f snda ||

as. p. tJtlBl.

hahujiatni kiu> ukitnti royro-yfigt fri fdUviTfrthl

wnrf Tijiil fWanibnip'd uagl tai fllHUnva Ifii/pflyt* ||

■' .1 J e ^ jjg p

• MS. p. as(B).

u

TaNTRIC BUDDnrSTkl

eiietl One—the Adi-Bn(5dlja. This Lord Supreme possesses five kinds of knowledge wijieh are like five attributes of the Lord. From these five attributes proceed five kinds of meditation {dbyana} and from these five kinds of Dkyana emanate five deities who are known as the five Dliyani Buddhas. These Dhyam Buddhas are the five presiding deities over the five skandhas, viz., riipn {material element), vedana (feel¬ ing), sayiijna (conceptual knowledge),

(synthetic compound mental states), and vijiiami (consciousness).' The deities are (1) Vairocana, (2) llatna-sambhava or Rntna-ketu (vide, ita7naja, p, 12), or Batna-natha (uide, Pancfl-Aframa, Cli. 1), (3) Amitabha, or Amitayus (vide, Sn-giihya- »amdja, p. 12), (i) Amogha-skldhi, or Karma-natlia {vide, Panea-kramn) and (5) Aksobhya respectively.'

This pantheon of the live Dhyani Buddhas seems to have evolved in later Buddhism with some influence from the Sankhya philosophy. The five skandiias of the Buddhists were confusedly mixed up with the panca-hhutas (five material elements) of the Sankhya, viz., earth {keiti), water (op), fire (#e/as), air (maruf) anti ether (opoma). These five material elements, together with the five sense-organs, proceed, according to the Sankhya, from the five Tan-mdtras or potential elements or generic essences of sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. The word Tan-nidfra may broadly be explained as that in and through which the unmaaj- fested and un-speeified reality (/at) is measured, i.e,, manifested and specified. In this sense the five Tan-

• In the &Ti-€nkrtt-34nnbhaTa-tfintm these five deities are explained

as the five a&peetst of wisdom coming from the it&obhlructed nund» thev tire the Dhyhnl Bnddhas, whereaa the presiding deities aver the five fkfmdhm *re Vaisfocana (rMjjn), Vajra-suryn (i?ediind), rAdmanortcsvarii llaia-vojra {mth^kara) and Buddha

V^ajra-^ttva (vijttfina}- th. on 'The good wishcg^

Itiifiea-btiddha-nviibhiiviitt ttt ifhindho-tpritti-vinMfritQin ||

MS, E-A.S.B,. Nol, naaS

p. 10(A).' '

THEOLOGICAL POSITIOX OF THE TA>TRIC BUDDHISTS 95

w«trcs nittv remind us of the five kinds of knowledge • "

of the Primal Lord which arc popularly conceived as the five attributes of llie Lord, and from these five attributes of knowledge follow the five kinds of Dhya- iias, from which again proceed the five Dhyani Buddlias, w’ho are again tlie presiding deities over the five aggre¬ gates {skandkas). The nature of these five kinds of /ftrina is not explained anywhere ; but tliey seem to be five kinds of creative potencies in the ultimate nature of the Lord, which is pure consciousness.' Wc have seen before that in Vijuanavada Buddhism the ultimate reality as the Abliuta^parikalpa, though bereft of all subjectivity and objectivity, possesses in it the potency of world creation. The nature of this creative potency is also knowledge and from five kinds of such know'-* ledge there proceed five kinds of specification in the pure consciousness of the Lord and these five kinds of specilicatioii of consciousness are the five kinds of Dliyanas which are again the generic essences of the five skandkas.

Ill the Tantrle literature these five Dhyani Buddhas are described with their Saktis or divine consorts. Each Dhyani Buddha lias got a particular consort, a particular colour, crest, iV/udra (posture) and Fohono ; each again has a particular Bodliisattva, a human Buddha, a bl/fl-maiifrii, a location, and each is again associated with a particular Kula or family; they are again associated ivith the paiica-bhutas, and the five sense-organs of siglit, sound, touch, taste and smell. They arc again placed in different parts of the human body. The whole thing may he illustrated with the

' The live kinds of uqcorditig lo llie

saiMSrrdin, (i) jrwv«fKddftii-cfff«rw«-<fhflfH-;iS<!Mt! prodocing (?)

VairocanH, (iii adarm-jMKa, producing Aksohhya. (Lii) prafyn- vr^pinri-innnit producinjj Amitubtta. (iv) janwiln-pinpiii, producing Ratnu-sunibhuvii. ond (v) trrydiiii$fhdi;n-;ndnn, ]>rodiicmg Aidogha- siddhi. The 'lAynon for creation in general b known as mmnarjana*

96

tantbic buddhism

lielp of the table given in the next page (the contro¬ versies being ignored), ’

These five Dhyani Buddhas are also called tlie five Tathagatas and in t!ie hierarcliy of the Pauca-tatha- gatas Aksobhya, the presiding deity ovcTvijnana is, often given the highest plaee and the first four Tathagatas are generally marked by the miniature of the fifth Tatlia- gata Aksobhya, and the latter again in his turn is mark¬ ed by the miniature of the Vajra-sattva, The marking of the first four Tathagatas by the miniature of Aksobhya implies that the first four skandhas are nothing hut modes and modifications of consciousness,“ they are the constructions from the consciousness. But the vijfidna, as one of the aggregates^ is not lim ultimate reality, pure cotiseiousness which is absolutely free from the notions of tlie grdhya and the grdhaka is the ulti¬ mate reality, and this ultimate principle of void is the ^'ai^a-sattva, and, therefore, even Aksobhya is marked hy the miniature figure of ^'aj^a-sattva.

This Vajra-sattva is not merely of the nature of ^unyata, it is a non-dual stale of Sunyata and Karuna; to imply that the \oid-consciousness is also of the nature of an identity of both Sunyata and Karima, Aksobhya is marked by the Vaira-sattva,' Thus the Vajra-sattva is identified with the Bodhicitta, It is said that when Prajna or the Sunyata-knowledge

Yot this, setj .1 (Chs.

nn iind llevajm-

Ch* IX, S£ii7ij>ti|rM^ Ch* I* Ch. t, T/tt: Guda 0 /

Sorthrrn Buddhmn by A. Getty, Icouogmph^ by Dr. B.

BhaitucburyUp pp* and An IntrodvcGon to Buddhist Emtemm by Dr» fi- Bhallachuryaj Ch- XIII-

- Ponca-itithugttta-mudrd-vivaTa rid in A dvaya-vafra-samgruh f7, nf so,—nl jiU- vedfi M-sam f « a->w ra-ffkan dh a-f mu kO. vmro-

cuno-ruinfi-mwihhavd-ttnfabhii^moiihosdddhiiyo vijnfinu-mntTfita ifi pmtipddttnAya mudnionti f^i|

Panenhom^ Adudprt-tfl/ra-sniiigrRAfl, 42- VijMno here scem^ to be tsiken in tlie sense of *awsrcness\ vdjM7ta»yii naihsvabhfivya^ya ^unyaia-kortinayoit tMMmitka- (arorn) €fi frntipddoyirnm akAttbhya*pi vajm-mttvrfm mudryoU, /i>irL, p. 42.

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O.P. 105—18

m

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

commingles with universal compassion, there remains no thinker, no tliinkable^ no thought: this is the slate of non-duality, this is called the Bodhicitla—this is tlie adamantine truth—this is the Vajra-sattva—the per¬ fectly enlightened one (samhiiddha), this is perfect wisdom.’ This \'ajra-sattva for Vajra-dhara, as he is sometimes called) is also described in the Tatitras Vi'ith his consort variously called as Vajra-sattvatmika, Vajra-varahi, Prajna, Prajna-paramita, etc, and his blja-mantra is hum,* * This Vajra-sattva, the Lord Supreme of the Tantrie Buddhists, is found in the Bud¬ dhist Tantras bearing many other names of which the most important are Hevajra and Hcnika.

(ii) Bod/itcitta Y,

(A) General Conception of Bodhicttta

In the previous discussion we have seen that the self as the Vajra-sattva has often been said to be the Bodhicitta. The original meaning of the word Bodhi- citta is citta or consciousness as bodfif or perfect wisdom. Now, in earlier Buddhism wisdom meant sunyata-jnana —the realisation of the nothingness of the world; but we have seen, in Mahayana wisdom means ifmyat^jndna complemented by Karuna or universal compassion. Bodhicitta in Mahayana then implies the state of the citfo where a perfect coQiniing of Sunyata and Karuna becomes the very essence of our consciousness. In the Buddliist Tantras the word Bodliicitta, though sometimes used in its older sense of sunyatd-jMna* generally implies the Mahayanic sense of the unification

' ftad adi:Anam ittj uktaiii bodhicittam idam pflmml rnfTfim iri-j-jifm-fiittvath ca vnmbitddbo bw/Air eva ca [I t*ta}fto~p<ttj‘t-vhii3caya-siddhif Ch. TV, Verso IT.

• Cf. tan-madhttf Ut hmhkHrtim VHjrfi-naltva^-Dvoriipakitin, etc.

R A.S.B., No. IISTO, p. 3«(A).

In tno wo hftve a d<^t&ilcd discussion on the

inoaninp of the word Botlhicitta and though at the cud of the discus¬ sion Bodhicitta is dcfwrihed us the unity of flunyalo and Karujju the earlier discussiipn is dominaled hy the older sense of the word ns the

THEOLOGICAL POSITIOX OF THE TANTRlC BUDDHISTS 99

of the two elements of Sunyata and Karuna. Breathing the general spirit of l!klahayanaf Saraha-pada says in one of Ms Doli^, u^ho discards Kaiuna

and sticks to SCinyata alone never have access to the right path; he, again, who meditates only on Karuna, is not liberated even in thousands of birth ; he on the other handt who can mingle Shnyata with Karuijia, remains neither in bimua (existence) nor in nirvana

Tealis-atiQn of the esseiiftftiesiiness of the tlhantnis* Here the Lord IS approached by the Tathagalua of I he assembly to explaio to them the nature of the Boclfaicitta. The Lcird docs not make any direct rcplyj but asks them first to realise the oneness pervading the body^ speech and mind. Through the realisation of the homogeneity imder- lying the body, speech and mind the rnthagatn^ realise that all origination is taLk<^ ol about what is esssenti^y tin produced ♦ The Lord then l^ecomes absorbed Lu a special kind of nieditation and

b/invafi fi naira

ill $m hhfnmh ayfid |

The mcanmg of the verse^ as explained in the iSck&dddtt^tJkA (GiO^Sn p, 41), IS that when cxisteuce is viewed from the perspective of the void tatftSvaJj nq thought-construction remains a positive thought- con struc lion* hnd existence aUo ceases to be existence.

After this, Vairoenna Ttithagsta exclaims in his meditatiofi on the nature of Bodhicitta^ — *M.y cifta i$ devoid of all (notions of) existence, it is unassoeiated with any skaiadha, dgntana, — or

with subjeetivlly and objectivityi^it is without origiriation and is of the nature of void as are ail the dhcirtuos by iiaturc\ exclaims in hjs own tam^— *AU. existonce is without originatian; there is no dhanj'inf neitiier ony essence of the dharmm; all this ig csscncclcss like the sky,— this is the immutable hod hi ^ We find on echo of the game truth in the exclamation of j?(ifT](or who says,—* Unreal ore all the dbannuK, — for they (dhnriims) have no definition (iakxnfja); everything onginatCB from the esscncclessacss of the dharmas {dbar?na-aatrAfiii^ah and this is called the unmtitable (.-Imitd&ha) in bis turn gives

another description of the /JodhrVkfo; he says,—*Ali the dharmax being witliout origination there is neither any existence nor any i:otion of existence: existence of things ig spoken of iu cxoclly the same way os the existence of the sky.* Then comes the turn of Amoghamldhif who exclaims in his deep meditation that all the i/^mrnios are effulgent by nature, they arc perfectly pure like the sky. Ihcn they all join in reciting the gdfha in praise of the JiofflircitlYi which is described here as qf the nature of pure truth, pure entity (liirfdftw-rthn), originating from the non-eggentlal nature of things, filling ihe Buddhas with pure knowledge (hodhi), without thoUght-c?qnJitruction, wiitiout any support» good all round, bene¬ volent, the ini^pircr of ihe bodli^mind,—rmhorliincnt of the pructicea for the immutable by nature.

100

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

(exljnt'tioii) ’ The BocUik-itta state of tlie self is thus a transcendental state—it is a state of supreme realisation transcending both bhava and ninJdan. The self in this state of Bodhicitta is tile supreme reality— it is the Vajra-sattva. It is “ without a beginning, with¬ out an end, quiescent, it is immutable in existence as well as in non-existence, it is the non-duality of .^unyata and Karunfi. ” * It is eternal resplendent, pure, the abode of all the Jinas, it includes all the dharmas with¬ in it, it is divine—the cause of tlic whole universe.’”

(B) SlINYATA AKD KaRUNA AS PBAJMA AKD UpaYA

Sunyata and Eartina are widely termed as Prajna and Upaya respectively in Tantric Buddhism. :%unyata is called Prajha simply because it represents perfect knowledge. So far as an individual Sadhaka is concern¬ ed, this perfect knowledge is rather a static or negative state of mind w hich separates the individual from tlie world of suffering beings; Karuna, on the other hand, acts in his mind like a dynamic force—the moral inspi-

• A'ammi chQif4* h |

R<ii( so titU’Or loocgu {|

ahava KuruHa bMral |

jammn^f,aha^r\ahi makkhit na jmrm \ mnna^kamiiil jul jounu srxMaJ I Bflfi frJifttre nafi thakkai ||

—Dr. P* C* Ba^chj’is Editiai^ p.

^ s&ni^ni hh6va-bhava~k^u^ni |

• '5ri-^i'Aiffl-saiiniyu, Cb. XVIII.

This definitioii of ftodhirtito has be«n cooimented upon in the sphere it is said that by the epithet ^without begiattiug and end* is implied tlie absence of origination nnd destruction, and by that again is implied the njl-pervading, unchanging and eternal nature of the /Wbinftd, It is quiescent because all the Ictrws (offlictinns) end here; it is the lord, because it pcrfcmis all the mundane as well ns supm-mundane duties- It is because of the essenee-

lessness of all the dharmas, — and it is because of the resolu-

tion in it of elevating all the beings to the state of perfect visdam, and helping them in attaining perfect peace. (G-O.S.) pp, 72-73,

• nitgath pwifrMsrnrnm iuddhaih bodhieititith jiutUaitain \

mti'a-dharmattinyatu divyam vikhitli-tjtada-karanam j|

—J'rf(/no-/Kiyn-imijcrt^a-siddhi, Ch, II, Verse sa.

THEOLOGICAL POSITiOX OF THE TANTBIC BUDDHISTS 101

ration that prompts one to hnd oneseif universalized in an emotion of deep compazzion. This moral inspira¬ tion as purified liy perfect knowledge induces a man to moral activities, which never bind the man, but liber¬ ates him m well as others. Prajha is passive by nature, the religious inspiration is tlerived from the active emotion €>f compassion, which serves like the means or the expedience {upaya) for the realisation of the high¬ est goal. Prajha is the one universal principle, the oneness as the ‘sucliness* (tatftata) underlying the diversity of the ]ihenomenal world, while the Upaya is the principle that brings dowm our mind again to the world of particulars. Through Prajha one is purified, while Upaya draws one’s perfectly purified mind do%vn to the world of particulars where the helpless beings are found suffering the miseries of life. This Upaya prom [its man to benevolent activities for the removal of sorrow', but as already hinted, these moral activities are always associated with and guided by' Prajfia, W'hich is the ultimate principle of purification, and thus they cannot leave any good or bad impression as aamskara on the mind of a man, so that by these acti¬ vities he is never again bound in the snare of uasaua and saihska^ra anil consequently in the cycle of birth ani.t death. Further w^ ha%^e seen, Prajha or Shnyata makes one view the whole of existence from the paro- indrLhika point of view where there is neither suffer¬ ing nor happiness and consequently no scope left for Llie spirit of benevolence ; it is Upaya that draws our attention to tlie world of suffering and inspires one to sacrifice one’s salvation for the removal of the miseries of the suffering world.

The use of the term Prajha for i^rinyaLa is ivell known in Buddhist philosophy and literature, they are often treated as synonyms; but the use of the term Ujiaya for Kanina seems to be somewhat technical. On the authority of Suzuki we find that these concep¬ tions of Prajha and Upaya are already there from the

m

tXntric buddhism

time of Asvaghosa. It U said in his Atvakening of Faith in Mahaydnu {Mahdyiina-sraddhotpada-siltra} that Enligliteniiient a priori has two attributes, viz., (i) Pure wisdom {PrafAd) and (ii) Ineompreheiisible activity {Vpdya} Karuna).* * Later on the word Upaya is found widely used in !ilahayana texts for Kartma. ^ In standard Mahayana texts Upaya has generally been used to indicate missionary activities mainly In the form of preaching the truth among lay people to remove their veil of ignorance and to enable them to realise the truth. ’

What is said above about Prajiia anil Upaya and their union has variously been expounded in the Bud¬ dhist Tantras under various imageries. In the jEfeua/r«- /n«tra Upaya and Prajha have been described under the imagery of tlie Yogin and the Mudra (the great woman to be adopted in Yoga-sadhanii), and tlie Bodhicittu is tlie perfect union of this Yogin and the Mudra who stand for Karuna and Sunyata respectively. * In all classes of Buddhist Tantras the most in’iportant thing is the stress on this union of Prajna and Upaya, either

' P. fie. Also c/., p. 99.

^ Mag 4 ir]tiDa used the word Upfiya for Kurunii (I'jde, jUudhf/ntRttru- irffd, Levi's edition, p. 2).

" ride, Saddharm(t-^inntdtirika-3mtr«, Ch. 11, pp. 23-58, Bibliothccn Buddhica publication.

Ill the of the Bi'idhliHiftva-bhu?i)l this

is said to be of twelve kinds in all; bix from the internal side eoneeniin^ the adoption of the reli^on preached by Buddha, and six froni the external side conceriiing the fruition of the essence. fEdited by Uiirai Wogihora, p. 2C.) For a detailed discussion on the divisions pf upityn~kan<aia see BfRlhisulfira-Miuij'Ji (which ta hut the liftcenth section of the yofiocdrji-tfmmf of Vnsu^ haiidhu), pp. 292-72.

• krpti-piitjfi hhaved yogi RULirti |

™nyfi(a Arrtruiut'fihmnmii bodhtcttloin jti sjurtajn j

—Palais X, MS, p, Sii(A),

The commentary says that the state of mind that feels the self-same ness in all the beingB is compcLssioii, and it is the ‘great means' (wpdyo) as it is the means for attniniiig perfect enlightenment; —and that IS also the Yogin.—for, that is the oaidinal principle of « Yogiii. The mudra is the /trapM, for she is the jfilfiaotii in the sense of the non-pToductior. of all the Jhapmos,—and she u the

THEOLOGICAL POSiTICHS’ OF THE TAKTHIC RUDDHTSTS 103

in the philosophical sense or tlie esoteric yogic sense.

The authority of renowned Buddhist Acfirvas like

Arya-vimala-kfrti and others have often been quoted,

who are said to have stressed the truth that IJpaya is

bondage when unassociated wnth Prajna, and even

Prajna is also bondage when unassoeiateil with Upaya ;

both of them again become liberation when the one is

associated witli U>e other. Their commingling through

the instructions of the competent teacher, like the

inseparable co-existence of the lamp and the light, will

conduce to success in realising the real nature of the

self and the dkarmas. Whatever practices there are,

they should, therefore, be preceded by a knowledge or

rather the realisation of the true purport of the union

of Prajna and Upaya. * The cardinal principle of

Buddha, Dhanna and Satigha, says the IJakfiii-ofl/ro-

pafijara, points to the state of citfa shining in the

unity of Sunyata and Kanina, *

_ ■

Upaya has again very nicely !>een compared to a

boat in the Prajnopdya-vimscaya-siddhi. There it is said

that compassion is called raga (affection) as it affects

or causes happiness to all the beings who are distressed

with infinite sufferings. This compassion is like a boat

which brings all beings to the favourable shore, and it

is for this reason that it is called the Upaya. The com-

non-pToductioii pf bein|;s nothing iran private either from

the self or from others or from the combltiatldii of both or from Bomethio^ other than their combmation^

krpv*ttf iidifisan'a-sattve^u ditma-^satnata-citiaih kfpd mha porantp- / Kfl mpak-iiQf}7boffhi~prasddhano-pd^atvnt f nu cu yogi / y&ginAm pradhdnd^hamutH'dtfmudTd prajnd kdfidv ity AhafiumjatA mryti Hhnrmdndm {tnutptid^hf kathath QnutpAdah MntjfUdldhafh€iu n'yo- pifirafa irmiff-

patteh I &nutpfida-^okmf}d HinynM fmwti pnmmd pmjfrn — Ileimfm- ponjikd. p. 4l<Bj.

’ Quoted in the of the Advatfu-vajTn^

p. 2; also p. 55 .

^ ^Hnyafa-karurjiA-bhinHam yaira ciitam prabkdvytifel MO hi btuldhuHpn dhatumsjfa sanghn^yit'id hi drMnu |[

—Qnot^ in the p,

104

TAXTBIC BUUDinSM

mingling of this Prajfta and Upava like the mixture of water and milk in a state of non-duality is called the prQ}no~pdyQ,' It is an absolutely pure state free from subjectivity and objectivity, free from the mud of reality and unreality — from tlie dchnitiou and the defined ; it is neither duality, nor non-duality—it is quiescent — all good—all pervading, imniulable and only to be intuited within; il itself is the wonderful abode of all tlie Buddhas—the divine D/inrmo-d/mtu— from it emanate all the three fcai/as, the three ganas, innumerable ^wantrfls, inudra, mQitdaJa, cakra — all gods, demons, ghosts, men and everything else ; it is like the wish->delding gem (cinfoumt.d)—a combination of both enjoyment and liberation {bhukti-jnukti- padum). In the chapter on the meditation on the ulti¬ mate truth (trtttva-hhnuaaa) of the c' 0 |/a-siddhi it has been said Lliat the truth is both Prajna ami Upaya combined together; for, it is Prajna as it is the absence of all phenomenalizatlon (nispra- paAca-soariipafuat), and it is compassion, because like the wish-yielding gem it does every’thing for the good of the beings. Supportless is Prajna, and support¬ less is the great compassion ; they should be united like the union of the sky with the sky. In that stage there is no thinker — no thought—nothing to be thought of; there all seeing of sights, hearing of soumls,—

ifatus krpa rngaf^

lijiaimrjaty abhimatnm tfan \\

iindfi^ntikulA-fjog^nti pmkiriitAh

mdattam yac Cfi mHla-kMmynr iviij

%it ucynU ||

For the Wraf line* viz*i rfmjntrj «tc* MM. Vidhusekhara

^»txj fuggcsls the following cflirecl rradm^ {with the help of the Tibetan i>anfiJation)i—

Tttkmitj iihsA-duhkhaughad mgena duhkhfi-hi^tutiih\

And for ya¥inaAkt vn*nukulatnh ]\^ ~%uggem ynUAkdbhhmiam phnlarn, —Fidr 5lwdrrii Reviewt 1980.

theological POSlTJOK OF TKE TTnTRIC BUDDHISTS 105

muttering, laughing"—enjoyment—doing t>f all dwds,— all become yoga for a mam '

It is said in the Citta-viiuddki-prakarana that hs by the rubbing of two logs of wood fire is produced which is pure in the beginning, in the middle as well as at the end, and which show^s everything by its illu¬ mination, so also by the union of Prajim and Upaya the pure and luminous wisdom of the Yogin is pro- - duced. The absolutely pure dharma-dhatu, that is obtained by properly churning the milk of Prajha and Upaya, is the destroyer of holh pleasure and pain* *

• Pnjno-pnya-vmiScaifn^iftdM. Ch. IV, V#rs*s 1(H«, S imiU r

dis«ui»iion!i on the natufe of Pt.ijAa and UpAya are found in many of TftntiTMi In the vff* find jj discussion as to

whether Buddhahood b to be attained only thiouah Prajnn or only through Upflya. The answer i$ that Buddhahood is to be Tteitlier through Pra^ni alone nor tljTOiiph Upaya; but Lf the essence of both PrajM and Upiya becomes of the same natiire—if the two become inseparably cotmected—become united into one, then and then only a Sadhnfca becomes entitled to the highest reality which is at oiice enjoyment and bberation.

(rfdnJrh uicdr^rtfcl prajnayci knahnA Ithh biMhatvam na

\iro^ rftc.) rfrf J

wcijfate na ki^valath prajiia-nmtTena buclcfAnfufjfii

kintu t^adi p^mtih pTajiio~p§ya4ak^anaii savfuil^- bhfivtiiah etan dvmfa-bhimn^rftjmn bhaiatuh ek&Hmu MAvnUih tadii bhukti-mukti jfr.—Bendall^s Edition, p.

It is further said that th<; dtta |Le., the BodhkfttaY^ neither affected, pleased impjaU) by affection (ragfij or ootnpassiDn or the Upaya (pa^ = |famon-Hjwjfrt). hot is it displeased by indjlfereDce (t‘traga3K#unr/a(a, or pm/flfl); suiioess is attainable onlv through the equ^ization of both Tn#J« and virago, ft (dtfu) is of the nature of wm Prujnd and Upfiya, and in the nature of I he eonibination of Ptajna and Upaya it attains the highest realization.

«« tageoa rapjntf rr/tom na viragena tfiro/joff | raffa-rTigam trajunw ftrtvd mnrfnJ-ftiddhjs fa jSi/nfe || ciffflni proifia-iit-fflrfippafl Utthtitva'p&tfa^rHpnkftm] praii(4t~paya-,)fvnrHpenfi famhilti pfajaifate |;

_ — '?Hblia4iihj-s(i»figrnha.

iv L*-’* “ *** .'5rr-/fdlo-rnff™4(iBfrti that the Sahaja-body

(babo/a-fanij) or the dhnrmu-fcaya is neither PTrainij nor Upava,— It is of the nature of them both.

aw pnij^a ^»'ptj «pAyab sahu}n-tnnnr iyarii dhartna-k6yo babhuvit l>ra}fio-pSya->vampnh khalu vigata-tamo-jMnu-vtjnana-vedat (

— .Sri-Jf(ifii-fafrfyj*faafra, MS. (Cambridge, Add. ISeil

’ Verses ttS, or.

p.

O.P. Ins'"!!

106

TlNTRlC BUDDmSM

(C) Cosmological and Ontological Aspects OF PrajnX and Upaya

We have hinted before that the conceptions of Prajua and Upaya acquired a cosmolog'ical and onto¬ logical significance in course of time. Prajiia is the passive principle as the dharma-kdifa or the ‘ thatness' {tathata^) with perfect purity and perfect knowledge in her ; but the whole world the sambhoga-kdya and the mmiana-kaya) is a display of the Upaya, and the w'orld-process itself in the form of the samhhoga- and nirmdna~kaya is a means to lead all the sentient beings to the ultimate goal of perfect purification; this principle of passivity and the principle of activity arc then the two aspects of the one absolute reality.

We have seen that the difference between ^un|/ato and krpa is just like the diff erence between the lamp and the light and the unity of and krpa is also

just like the unity of the lamp and the light. The import is that as light cannot e3:ist without the lamp, so the lamp also is meaningless without light; exactly same is the case with iiinj/afa and framna; fcariina which is existence cannot be there without the void or the reality; but the Bunyatd also loses her meaning without there being the world of existence,—and so there is an inseparable connection between the two like the relation of any illusory effect with eternity.' The world-appearance as a result of dependent origina¬ tion is the grand bridegrooni ; had he not been there the hride mtnyafd would have been dead as it were. But, on the other hand, had this beautiful bride of iunyata been separated for any time from the bride¬ groom, he would remain eternally under bondage. So the relation between svnyatd and kamna is like the relation of inseparable conjugal love ; the love between

• hftflvrMtynh nci'ni/A rto ca tSf/i tinej

theological position of the TaNTEIC BUDDHISTS iCff

them is the most natural love {sahajam prema) and so it is inseparable. '

Goddess ^^arahi who represents Prajna is spoken ol as of tlie nature of knowledge, whereas god Heruka representing Upaya is spoken of as the knowable, and the Avadhutl-niaiji,dttla (the circle of perfect puri¬ fication) is formed by the combination of both of this knowledge and the knowable.* From all these it is evident that Prajna is conceived as the absolute know¬ ledge which is negative and passive, whereas Upaya is the positive and active principle. Prajna is conceived as the female element while Upaya is conceived as the male element.

These conceptions of Praj'na and Upaya have important ontological and cosmological bearing on the four philosopliical systems of Xepalese Buddhism.' The Svabhavika school holds that there is no imma¬ terial ultimate truth in the form of the soul substance ; matter is the primordial substance from which the world proceeds. This matter as the ultimate sub¬ stance has two modes which are called pravrtti and nivrtti, action and rest, dynamic and static, concrete and abstract. Matter is eternal as a crude mass (how-

' Ibid^, Pfima-pancaka (I'S). In the also

wc find that the nntiue of Fraj5a is npn^xistcntc, wherens the nature of Upilya is existence; css€noelessne&if is FrajM nnd of positive nature is Upoya. So the whole truth will be the unity of both these positive end negative aspects*

atm evabhUi'a-lakmnapfai^ii bk^va-tak^fina uptiya tfi] fofhd nihsvabhhvQ-jQhmna pVa/54

upaya iti format prai^&-paya-vidhkmm cofififahI—pp* ai^li

(Bendairs Edition)* , ^

lu another place it h seid that Ft^jM is of the uattiire of essence- lessnep while Upaya is the came of oil cxi&teuee.

fu ££iin5thifah |

opdtjfo bh^va-jiinako bhadmpaftena |j —Ihtdl, p* TO-

In the Sanskrit portion of the I)ulcamava (edited by MM* IL P. Sistri) Upaya and Prajiih have been spoken of os existence and extinction (p. I5i&).

• QaMrmva (Sistrt'i Edition), p. 15 T.

• The systems are: (i) SvSbbavika, (ii) Aisvarika, (iii) Earnuka,

and (iv) Yatiuka.

JOg TaNTRIC buddhism

ever infituteSy attenuated in and so are the

powers of matter. These powers arc not oidy active but also intelligent. The proper state of existence of these powers is the state of nivrtti or rest as the abstrac¬ tion froni all plienomena. When these powers pass from the state of rest into their causal and transitory state of activity tlie phenomenal world comes into existence and it again ceases to exist when the powers repa-ss from pravrffi to nivfttL This ninfffi is the Frajfia ’ mid the praurtti is said to be the Upaya. Prajha is said to be the abstraction from all effects wbilc Upaya is the concretion of all effects or activities. * In the Aisvarika school these Prajna and Upaya are deified as Adi-Prajfia and Adi-Buddha and the visible world is said to be created from the union of the two. According to the Prajiiikas ’ Buddha as the principle of active ]Jower first proceeds from nivrtfi or Adi- Prajna and then associates with her and from their union proceeds the actual visible world. The prin¬ ciple is symbolized as Prajna being first the mother and then* the wife of the Buddha, ‘ The well-known triad of Buddha, Dliarma and Sangha has often been explained as Prajna (Dharma), Upaya (Buddha) and the world (Sangha) produced by their union. * Bud¬ dha ’ generally symbolizes the generative power.

• of the IJtrnitufir, €?tc.—Hodgson* p. Uft,

- Ibid., pftg« . t LI

’ A sub-division of iht SvubhSivika

• Here it is uiteTesling to compare with it the £akt4% gosmological

tradition of thr Adi-Sakli, who is Ihii motheT of 5iva and again tii«  wife of iiva in crefiting the world. The above principle has often been explained also by the aiiEiLog^' of the 1 otiIp It is said, “That Yoni* from which the world was made miuiifest is the trif-koitakoni- (jontra. Tti the midst of the yantra or frl^fcowo is a bindui from the jiirtffw .Irii-PraffM revealed herself by her own will. From one aide of the triangle Jdi-Pra/nd produced Buddha and from another side Dha™n and from the third side 5owgftn.* iQuotcd by Hodgson* page 12^). It is also very interesting here to compare with it the well-known ioangidur ymtm of the HincJii Tantras. Cf* also: trikondk^m-mjnbhfitG dhtmtwihya ill sipiftah—and Iroin it originated the whole universe and all the gods and goddesses.—See

M&+ (C-L.B. No. 18124-) p. 118(A).

THEOLOGICAL POSITIOK OF THE TANTHIC BUDDHISTS 109

• Dharaia ' (or Prajna) live productive power and their

union produces Sahgha.'

This conception of the tw’o counterparts of the ultimate reality has its correspondence in the concep¬ tions of the Garbha-dhofu and the Fa/ra-dlifliu of Northern Buddhism in general. The Vajra-dhatu or the ‘ thunder-element * is the immutable nature — it is, in other words, the fathotd element; while the Garhha- dhatu is the ‘matrix element* or the phenomenal w'orld corresponding to the faf/tagata-gflfhhfl. They are the two parts of the Mandala.* Their union is symbolized in Nepal by the flame arising from the lotus or the moon-crescent (the flame symbolizing the male element and the lotus or the moon-crescent symbo¬ lizing the female element) or by the flame arising from the kala^a (jar); in Tibet the union is symbolised by the .4sofefl branch in the ambrosia vase, aud in botii Chinese and Nepalese Buddhism by Yin-yang (the female and the male)/ There Yoga consists in the mystic union of this immutable element, or we may say, the ‘thatness’ of the dharmas with the active element as the material world. It is for this reason that the theory of Yabyum (the male and the female) could find so much prominence in Northern Buddhism, particularly in Nepal and Tibet where almost all the dignities are accompanied by their female counter¬ parts in a state of close union.

Getty interprets the Mudra (the posture, generally of the hands) of Vairocana (the Lord Supreme of the Shingon Sect) as indicative of this mystic union. As Dhvani Buddha he has the D/iarma-cafcra-mndrd,

• Cy. ‘From ihe union of the essences of i'prti/o and Pfafnd

proceeds the world which is Songho'. {Pnjh Khuiri^ii) hy

Hodgson, p. I'J*'. Also f/. Tfir Gorfit o/ .Vorffiffn Bitddhi^oi, by

A. Getty, p. ll. ...

• litre the Mandiiltt is the circle with Buddha M«hiivdirDcana m

the ceniKS and with numberless tnaoifestations of his Wy, such as Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and others, gathered round him.

^ See The Gods 0/ .Vorfhern Boddhtin), by A. Getty.

no

tSktbic buddhism

which the Tibetans call Thabdoti-shesrab, or the union of wis^ioni with matter, ” '

Tills two-fold division of the ultimate reality is also found in the Taoism of Cliina, Tliere also Tao means ^Tlie &reat’ (c/. Skt. Brahman) and Tei is the power, or activity or the Sakti of ‘ the great *. They are the negative and positive aspects of the one truth. Creation proceeds through their union—through Vinn and Yang (the female and the male).

With this conception of Prajha and Upaya as .Viurlti and Provrfti or as Adt-prajha and Adi-Bu(Uiha we may compare the conception of j§iva and $akti and the aham or the ' 1-ness' produced by tiieir union (m’a-^a/rti-mit/iu7tapmda). According to the Hindu Tantras the ultimate truth is the union of Siva and ^akti. Siva represents pure consciousness ^vhich is in¬ active—the static aspect of the idtimate reality; while i^akti represents the world force—^the kinetic energj' of the ultimate truth. Siva is Nivrtti and ,^akti is Pravftti and in the ultimate state they remain in a union of oneness.* From tlie cosmological standpoint

’ “As f^di-Buddha he has the mudra of the Six-elements, which also indicates the same principle, and although rare in Tibet, is often found in Japan- The index finger of the left hand is clasped hy the five fingers of the right. The six fingf^ represent the Six- elements which when united, produce the six-fuld bodLly and mental happiness. He further exphiitkif: ’’'The five lingers of the right i.and repreaenl the five material elements of which man is composed: earth (little finger), water (ring finger), fire {middle finger), air {index finger) and ether (the thumb). The index finger of the left hand represents the same symbol of Adi-Buddha; for the sLxth element, the mind (mnnas) is u ]»artic]« of his eg.sencc.

The two hands, thus representing the union of the Spiritual with the Material, correspond to the Vafra^hulu and Uar&hn-ditarn of the Mundala of the two ports. The rn/ra-iihatH, represented by the index finger, is the ‘diamond' cknieat correspunding to the spiritual world. The Gnrbhu-dhatH, indicated by the five fingers, is the ‘matrix' element, coTTesponding to the material world." Ibid., p. ao.

= C/. the Elindu Tantric prineiple of deaigridting the Sahasmra (situated in the ecrebriun region) to be the abode of Siva and the lowest to be the seat of Sakti in the Jona of on

electrie force, generally known as the Kiilakun^aihii-iiikti - this lower region ivherc Spkti resides is generally known as the region of rravrtti while the highci region or the region of pure mteUectiou ^ ,

i

THEOLOGICAL POSITTOX OF THE fiJCTBIC BUDDHISTS 111

Siva is said to be the Bmdu (of white colour to suggest the comparison with seed or semen) and Sakti is Rakta (of red colour to suggest the compariso!! with ovum) and this Bindu and Rakta unite together to produce the principle of I-ness or egoism.

But we should notice here a verj* important point of diRcrence between the Buddhist eonception of the two aspects of the truth and that of the Saktas, Saivas as well as of the Taoists. In ^akta-tantra, Saiva- tantra as well as in Taoism the passive subjective aspect of the ultimate reality is conceived as the male, Tvhereas the active counterpart has always been con¬ ceived as the female, and this conception of passivity as the male and the active counterpart as the female is found in many of the systems of Indian philosophy as represented in the Tantras. The Purusa of the Samkhva-system is absolutely qualitilcss and inactive, wiiile all the gunas with all their active functions belong to Prakrti who is generally conceived as the female* In the Vedanta the Brahman is qualitiless and indeterminate, while the world-illusion is ascribed wholly to the activity of nmt/a, and this nmyd in the popular Vedantic literature bears an air of femininity. But here, in Buddhism, we find the conception re- i^ersed; !§unyata or Prajna which is qualitiless and unchangeable is conceived as the female, while Kantua or Upaya mth the active inspiration is conceived as the male. It may, however, be noted here that the conception of the female as the passive and the male as the active is not also quite unknown in the history of Indian thought.

In the Buddhist Tantras Prajna and Upaya have sometimes been expressly identified with Sakti and Siva. Sakti is the Hnifata-perception contradicting

is called the re/pon of KhftU —and the Sidhoxia canststj in rtniaijig the Sakti^ residing in the region of to unite wUh the Si’t'a

Tesiding in the regton of the bliss proceeding from the union

of Siva Sakti is the highest religious realization.

H 2

ttSTRIC BtTDDHlSUr

all affirmatian about things.' Perfect bliss is obtained from the union of Siva and Sakti and this bliss is the highest non-duality; but in the ultimate reality there is neither the Si^i^a nor the Sakti. *

In some places, however, the Bodhi-mind in its active state is spoken of as the IT pay a while the god¬ dess or or the void-knowledge as

the Frajna. In the ffwJiya-siddkf we find that the presiding deity over the mind is the Lord Supreme (Bhogandn) and Prajna is the adamantine woman/ and the Lord was amorously sporting with this adamantine woman in the form of Maha&ukha. When the Bodhi- mind in its upward march reaches the ultimate state, it merges itself wholly in Nairatma or ^ilnyafa or the Sahaja-bliss — and this merging of the Bodhi-mind in goddess iVajTdfnid, or perfect vacuity of the nature of intense bliss, is called the union of the Lord Mind and the Lady Vacuity. Thus Kukkuripada sang in a song, * Desireless am I (the goddess Nairdf md), and the void-mind is my husband * Tillopada say.s in his Dobas, ' Where the mind and the vacuity enter into the bliss arising out of this communion, the objects of the senses are not perceived at all * * The mind is the Lord and the Vacuity is the Lady; they should alWES's be kept united in the Sahaja ^ * In a Doha of Kanhu-

• ■ hk^ia-lak^na-riimiuktam viifi-uitiihilra.-viiTjitam |

TIR Mtili' IdUrafR ^R^rirflppnn |

tt! sun)e-nipa-i.'rFJ^,Krn 1 |l

—.Vrranrfa-lfliiJra, quoted in the

(G.O,S.),.p. 28 .

nfl iii^o iiapi ^aktii cr nifftR-tUiir^la-jjRrRJfr^ifciin f|

—I'CfftHjjna-fRnfra quoted in the .Idt’ijyo-vH/ffl-af/iBgmJiR.

• bARdavirnrt) nirdiftciRi nttRjij/iVdftipRh'A pr«bhw^|

Cfl/rR-yofrif (ttuftS prajM yS Hfii !<avajn^n-tti»k« ](

• hdmu ntrSitT ffhR-mRnir-bA/itSH | Song Ko, 20,

“ citta t’ftafRin'R fahi sRiiiRAiffiR patafthai \

(inttia^vimu tohl mnlM) hr dtsflf ||

—Do)m No. S, (Dr, P. C. Bagciii’* Ed.)

TJtRNRRR ((,iArrI.ir) fr/iRKifn'n bhCRCRtl

(dri'dJiRlti jKiha;^ rahmi) |[

—PohS No, IT. (Dr. P. C. Bagehi's Ed.)

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TSNTRIC BUDDHISTS 113

pada it lias been said that the Lord-muid merges him¬ self in his wife vacuity and becomes one with her as salt dissolves in water. ' tn some places again intense bliss (tnohflsiifcha) as tire ultimate nature and as per¬ fect knowledge has been spoken of as the Yogini, and the Bodhi-mind ns the Yogin. This Yogin! is variously called as the Jrtdna-mwdra (the woman of knowledge) or the Maka-mudrd (the great woman) — she is the Saha/a-danisei, witli whom the Yogin remains united day and night. The Yogin often says, he would not live without her kiss and embrace—he passes his dark night (of ignorance) in miioii with that great woman. In the Caryapadas of the Siddhacaryas we find many songs about this transcendental love and union of the Yogin and Yogini often garbed in the metaphors of ordinary love and sex-union of man and woman.

(D) Peajna and IIpaYa as Male and Female

The fundamental theological position of tlie Bud¬ dhist Tantras and that of the Hindu Tantras thus become the same. As there is tlie belief in the Hindu Tantras that the two aspects of the reality are revealed in the world in the form of male and female in general, so there is the belief in the Buddhist Tantras that all men and women are nothing but the manifestation of Upaya and Prajna rcspectlA^ely; or in other words all men and women arc Upaya and Prajna in their ultimate nature.

In the Buddhist Tantras Prajha has generally been designated either as the goddess (bhagauafi) or as the ilfudrti (which technically refers to the woman to be adopted for the Sadhana), nr the jlfahu-an/dra, or the Vajm-kanyd, or as the young woman {yuvatl)^

• jiuin lanfi cfhijf/J jMiiichi fima Idi |

j4niiir<irYiJ!it jAi fci f<' jFnmn tirnn

—Doha No. S2.

O.P, lIJS-lS

114

tIntbic buddhism

or often as the female organ.' In the Hevajra- tajitra Prajha is called the mother (/anowi), the sister (bhagint), the washer-woman (ra/aH), the dancing-girl the daughter (tfahi'to), the

poma-girl {domhi), etc. These names are sometimes explained very arbitrarily. It is said that Prajna is called janani because she gives birth to all the beings of the world; she is bhagml as she shows all tbe differ¬ ences (aibhdga); she is rajfaJn because she pleases all the beings (ranjandt)! ^Jbe is duhila as she accumulates all the qualities fdahaadi); she is aartuM because of her changing character; she is dombi (a woman of a very low untouchable class) because she cannot be touched.* In the commentary of Krsnacarya (Hevajra-panjikd or yoga-ratnamald) it has been explained that Prajha is ;a«a«T because in the form of "great-bliss* (wahasufrha) she gives birth to the world.* Again as the beginners cannot grasp her steadily, she is called narfaH.* She is asparia as she cannot be grasped by the senses/

^ Ill the nil'll of th^r we find

Prajfia styled as the goddess (praiMih bhaguvnthh^ cte.^ p* S20)» In the Kanakti^vMrnQ^pmjM-pQrumit^-s^dhitnQin also Fnafiia’ppammitS is said to be the Bhu^avati (p. 8^1). In the erhapter Qti *lwanasiikflfd- dh^m of the .Idvdi/fi-fojrtt-jningffiho we find described na

the Bhflgrtuafi PmjfiQ (p- 0*2]. Id the /Idrayn-frfrfdfti PrajiiA is styled Its the goddess (MS» CX^B^t p- Sb),

^ janniTi bhanyuU praffm jaiia^oH ya^mM jagtipjanaml hhasinPti t(ttM pmpM vibhagnj'n duTMdijit \

duhitil Cfl nnrfaA^ ca proifffhifa^e | rDnj^inal Sfirt'd-ft'ittifdiidfn tathu ^mjta ]j

duhiin^t pTnfSii diihtlO cii I

nurtaM bhmiyatv pmjM cunmlfitvut

asparM bbavnt^ fjasmul doifibl prakulhyntt |'

— /icrc/ra-frtfifraj MS. No. llnlT) p. 13 (B).

These lines also occur in the SnnipHfiTcfl. Hf, MS.

No. mm p. 4(A).

^ viivwfya ji^nafidt /flunnll

—MS. (Cambridge Add. No. p* ;iO(A>-

^ udi-ilrDrTfiikijr-iMitil'dih Jrlhirr-borlifiii

MS. p, 20(Ali.

~ indripundiii ngoc4irort‘'df |

— Ibid.^ MS. p. 20(A),

Here of course the designation^ of PrajEih aa mother^ sisterp

theological POSITION OF THE TANTHIC BUDDHISTS 116

In tlie Sngnkua-samaja-taiitra a beautiful girl of idxteen to be adopted in the practice is said to be the Prajna. ‘ Saralia-pada in one place salutes all young women, who are described as the embodiment of Prajna—who are like the wish-yielding creepers per¬ sonified—who destroy all the sufferings (kle&a) of the three worlds,* In the Hevajra-tanlra also the female is called the Prajna wliereas the male is called the

(laughIcr. ete. have got some sorl of metaphysical sigaiflcance; but in other plaw-R the plain implication is that the mother, sister, daughter, or anv woman of any caste, however low it may be, caa b'* adopted as the Piajiia (or the wamanl in the mystie practice-

(NAtarapfi bAdiSiMincaii'a dtihitani biiadburinfi/ffto brahmantifi kmtTinliieaiva vaiuiydift aoiiiii ro/flirfiii c« ifomblni ca cajidSUahh lathU 1 praplopatfo-L'idlutfieini pfijoyef lalfu«i.’fltsalnb ||.

— SampuiJ^a, MS, pp. a(A), *(B)-

See also. Pra/fio-J>djfa-t!fnwccjfC-s<<irf^fi Ch, V, /feca/|f-fanfm, MS. p. 12(A}, G0(B); fiifo/fn-mrd-cnndd-moha-riwono-tajitra, MS. p. 8(B).

In justifleation oi this action it is said, Prajna is devoid of all thought-conslnictlons and consequently she is above all the notions of differences; that being the eaee, for a Yogin there should not be any notion of difference among the mother, the sister, the daughter and any other girl even of the lowest caste. If there be nny notion of distinction nt ail it is to be uiiderstond that the Yogin is not yet fuJly Tit for the I’oifo, for he has not obtained the mBsrafd- knowledge which effaeea ail such notions of distinction. It is there¬ fore warned that the Prajha should be carefully worshipped so that no notion of difference may arise at nil—prfijfatficjifl gntna bhedo na iayofe, .Sompufild, MS. p. 8(B); |/en«jVa-fnntr«, MS. p. 12(A); c/. also f/^irnfm-padjiffd, MS. pp. 17(B)—18(A); tiffa- risKddfn'-pmitnropn, Verses lOl-lUB. (C/. .Sri-giihtfa-sofiwju, Ch. \,)

• sodastt-bdihutii snmprapyo yofiffiin hdrtff-stipmbhniul

gmidfta-pnspdA'uffltfi krtvii tosifO mmfhi/e fu IfUTunyel |l (idhit'csfi/o cn fdifi prajilnm.etc.

— Pafufu IV. p. 10 (C.G.S.).

r/. also, , ydn? fra Seif suflbfrn-tvn ?)piUfnd-rfipcrta sarca-

fanfrrfn-gflfm-frii'niT-inrajV^fl-bftahgdhhiramii. ..... etc.

—Quoted in the SHWiusita-iHifu£rflho,

• i/asdijt Sfcrfir opmpflnefl-uiniflia-projnnninyf surragdl

^rtfrsat fralpa-infnivo tTi-Mmimne jffih frfesa-judfa-cchiddh irf-rrmd-t'a/nJ-prtdd-Sfrifd ^uvaltiifiia tdbh^O iiatiiah soirnfah J

—Quoted in the .^Hfrfrdyjfci-stiibjrfliio.

118

TANTRIC BUDBinSM

iunyatdi it has also beeu extensively used as the synonym for the male organ. The use of the lotus as ti)e symbol of the generating organ is rather well known, but the use of the Vajra for the male organ is rather technical. They are also technieally called bola or and kakkola or kakkoluku. *

(E) Prajxa-Upava as Laiasa-R\sana, Left \xd Right, Vowel and Consonant, etc.

Prajha and Upaya are also called Lalund and Ramnd which are the names for the two nerves Ida ami Fingalu well known in the Hindu Tantric nerve- system. The neri’^e wliere the two nerves commingle is called the which is again the middle nerve

corresponding to the Susumna nerve of the Hindu Tantras; and this ner\’e is regarded as the way to nircfina. It has been said, ‘Lalonc is of the nature of Prajna, and Rosand remains as lljiaya, and Avadhuti remains in the middle as the aboile of Mahdsukkay We may note here that in the Hindu Tantras the nerve

C/* Comni. on

of KMiha.

cy. alsOf— Sahtija-^^hidM of pombi-pado, quoted in the

p. quoted in the Sei&?ui-

p. 7^; MS* p. iil(B). (ihn-dAnfflvifi

Wrtfrtrmara (Ed. by Dr. N. Ctmudhunb P* Kriija- siimgmhut MS. pp. 75(B), 7G(A)t pp. 25,

Comm, on MS. (B.K. Suns. No, SS)

p. 15(B).

€f. ako kuJivit imjhc hhnh mmh [cj. pmjnit-j}ntja-

etc. Comm.)^ No- ^7*

yiijfo ndm pcfdr p«ifd khRhvuhiu\ Cttrya No. 49^

(C/. pro/iia-raviiidii-AuAom-^rrrtdf prrtre-^

jftffYiOt Comm.)

^ lajfum votakfim khjffiUin* podmitm wifffaiEj*

— Ihvisjm-tfinfpit MS p.

• Sfldhana-mnia, p. 448.

Cf, mIeo Mana pmjM-tvarupem ramm-payit-^aih£ihilii\

tayoT ytmdhif£ ^nia^h devt arii^'nrfTpi^ f |[

— Uemka^tQntrat MS. p. 74(B).

THEOLOGICAL POSITIOX OF THE tXKTBIC BUDDHTSTS 110

Ida wliich corresponds to the Laiand and which is of the nature of the moon is said to be the Sakti and Pingald, corresponding to the Jiasona and of the nature of the sun, is spoken of as the Purusa (the male prin¬ ciple). ' Again these Leiano and JZasftnfi are said to carry seed and ovum respectively* *’ We may also notice that Prajua has been called (left) iu the

Panca-kramti^ and Upaya has been named daksma (right)/ and this La/ana is also the nen-^e iu the left side and Rasand in the right side. Again Prajha is often spoken of as the vowel or the

C/. also f/raiiia-*n:abftoi.viiiB i-aiioiiiHpilaa-Mitwthfta i

ai’fKihOti madhya-deic tu II

—fajw-raraJii-frBffwi-JiJiifciT-rflfi'fni, MS. p. ii7(A).

f/fuaira-fantm, MS. p. 3(fl). /InrtJfeB-tanfra, MS.

p. ia(A),

fu/dfia rasano riarfi ea iMclnttfh ||

— /MJtfdrnoco (Ed- IVBI- H. P. Sistri), p. 158-

' I'fliTwSfl yA idb nfidff i«Jf/o-dOrtdm-Jitia™pfnlt

Aiitfi-nipil hj w amrfff-i-'ifirah* U

daktr fii pirt^nW pNduiah suryu-vignofinVI

—Sowiwohnnn-fnTifi'rt <]uotc<l in tht SBfcflJff'o-niriipoJinJii. Ed. by A. Avalon,

• ff. a}so,-Hjit?o6h|irft*t’aA5 Julanij rtimn& mfetfl-pTOv6lii»T[

nvadhfittf |

— ^Sd jftana-iMdld, p. 4-tS (G.O.S.)

/(iJirno mmtm

fnfftd prajna nendhun w prnfeirttfd If

—Ilcvajra-taiitnii MS. p. a(A).

nuidhye »thita nflf/l /wfriTid tffiifra-yflhiiil! dtiksttne rflfwjna rafcfu-(pro)VflM«i |]

—MS. p.

Cf, MS, (R.A.S,B, No. IISRS)

p. ‘2D{B). This MS,, pifcservect in the R.A.S.B., s«uns to be sub¬ stantially the same as tbe Ati-DakMTn^Me

published with the ApabAmmsd Boha* alonp with the Ciin/ilpadn^ by MM. H. P. Sfistri; but there are important udditians and alteia-

tions. , I . ■ -1

We should note one important caufusiou here, I^rHUTia is saiu

tu be PraifiA but it is said to carry seed, whereas Ratann which is said to be Upaya i< said to carry ovum; but the statement ou^ht to bas'c been reversed to be consistent with the analogy oI the Tantric Buddhists.

^ i'(5»n(j-suiji/)TdFri pitna^aivit, etc., MS. p. iSOlB),

• du'K pwrifftf-wiHi/itd ca si'oro-fciirfiJico rfafc'piioA, MS. p. 21(A).

120

iXntric buddhism

vowel 'a', or the series of letters begitming with

• a ’ (ah’) j and Upaya, in contrast, is spoken of as

representing the consonants, or the letter ‘ A*a or the series beginning with the letter *ka^ (kdh). In the chapter on jlmanasifeara of the Adoflya-na/ra-safhgra/ia we find that the letter * a * in the beginning of the word

• a-nianttsiA‘dra' implies the non-organization of all that

is imagined to be produced.’ In justification of this interpretation it is cited from the Manfra-patala (second chapter of the first kalpa) of the Heuajfra- fantra that as the letter 'o' is without beginning or origination, so also are all the dhannas—so the U!i- create nature of the dhamias as the sunj^nta is repre¬ sented by ‘ a Frajna who is san jfata is, therefore, ‘ a \ About the nature of * a * it has been said in the iVama- sangiff that' a * is the first of all the letters, it is full of deep significance, it is absolutely immutable—^it is long —uncreate and free from all vocal modulations.’ * A * is said to be the first and the most important of all the letters and all other letters are said to have evolved from this first letter In the Ekalla-vlra~ca7ida-

maharosana-laiitra w'e find that the vowel *a* means the non-artificial innate nature, and, therefore, ‘ a ’ re¬ presents Prajna and *va^ represents the Upaya.* In the Hindu texts we often find that represents Brahma or the creator of the universe.' In the Gifd

• P. 01 (C.O.S.).

• isaniiahuflfina^ro Hiahd-rf hah pfjminraft |

maha-pjvno hi/ amitpado vag-udfih^m-vnrjiinh |i

—Quotfd in the jldrfif/a-i^f/^'rn-iSfiifi^niha, p. 62.

Cf, ftlsot — ofrflm jniihham ^rtia-ifharnuiiifmi —Kmia^yamilTi^tantra quoted iji the a} Sann.

Buddhht MSS,». K.A.S.B., YoL 1* p.

Ag^m, adifvam-st*abhfivn m hni ftixdiihaift |

sairfi hhflj^atrafF pra;dd Htpanna-kTnnm^yagatah j]

MS. p, 49(Aj*

■ uahii}a-9Vitbhilvani uAifairi

akisrameyatr pm/ffd vakdrena hi/iipai/tiiciiEF/i | p rnffio-ptlyn ka-y nn lakdta-sH h h adnkmna ||

—MS. (R.A.S.B. No. \u 23(3).

• fikarjp ilijafe hmhmd t/tflrr fif/fitf harih |

mnkare tiijaff rndTiib pjvmve hi piiraft ^mrtahi ||

I

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTBIC BUDDHISTS 121

Lord Krsiia says that among the letters he is ‘ a *. So the fact*of the letter 'a' being the representative of .iiinyata is significant. Often it is seen that Prajfia or is represented not merely by * a ^ but hy the vowels in general/ and is indicated by the general name oli the vowel series beginmng with ‘ a V I"

contrast with dli, representing PrajM, or the con¬ sonantal series represents Upaya. This Prajna and TJpaya or ali and kali are tlien associated with the moon and the sun, or the night and the day respectively, ’ In the AituTcya-Ayanyaka it has been said that the night is obtained through the consonants and the day through the vowels. * Here in the Buddhist texts there is an iii- version of the notion. But tliis in general may explain the association of ali with the moon or the night and of kali with the sun or the day. Lalana and fiasand have also been associated with the moon and the sun, and they are .said to be the two nerves tiowing from the left and right of t he nasal cavity. * __

• C'/, pp. 476, 3S7.

fiStij up6ycti.~-ltcvaira-lanlraf MS., p. SBIA).

Also f^aitani wdir iaidih frajiA, ttk&rah Sdir yasgasaa

^ ’yianna-kalikii-itifitfo^ MS, (li.N. Siins. No* fid)*

pp. fl(.4) aud 6(B)*

&li ak«Ta-di-iiodaia^viiTun tatha tftiaiva krametfa knli kakar^

p, S«{AK Asain, flfcara-dir aiI^l fcafcoro*

df}t Ht'L’fi/«i-par1/ifra, MS., p. a(A).

’ athita-lif: ctindra-mpciia kUti-tupena !»Jiiastiirah | Ciitirfm-sfiryawIvnyDr-mf/n te pralfirhlnh ||

umiiid-Ii kalu (fiJtiiit’li catttirfi-rfrflfyn prafrftccfpnfflt I

—(/(fuq/rfl-taHlrB, MS., p. j!)0{A)i.

praplo-uajrti-pTOaogfltahl TjfBne udL’Of/r jMne JuiddAalt’om ||

—Rioted iti the Sath«*i7H-»flrif|»raho, p. 70,

• vyaRjanitifeva rdtrir Qpnwi’flHt* ^tomfr ohdurj

—Aifortpq-Ardrtjffffrn (II 9, 4).

Quoted by Dr. P, C. Dagdvi in his Studks in tftjf Toniras, p. 78.

• Cf, Jaland rosond raci-iBW fjidin wijwo i)i pose)

— Dwlwto?(i of K^hwpada, verso No. S,

C/, also llie comm. pfo/fid-cafidfii) uidhttfafel

rflwin-wdsHpKfo-st'otfidvnfl temf pruntt-prfliJdhipTfoitmd otfiital rastina-sabdcna Irdf»*n7p8 , . , . , etc.

—MS,, B.N. Sans. No. 47, p. 46(B).

O.P. 103—16

122

TANTRIC BDDDHISM

Again Prajaa has been said to be the syllable * e * and Upaya the syllable ' va \ In the Sddhana- mdld we find that Prajha should be meditated on as the syllable ‘ e*.‘ It is said in the SamputiA'a, “ Prajfia is said to be ‘ e ^ wliilc Upaya is the syllabic * ua *; and this * e ' shines only when it is aborned with * va In the Heuajra-tantra and in many other Tantras it is said, “That divine 'e' wliicb is adorned in the middle

with the uajra is the abode of all bliss or happiness—it is the abode of all the genas of the Buddhas j all joy, qualified by the moments, is produced there ; when one is established in this e-uam-fearet one realizes bliss through the knowledge of the moments.'"’ In the Dohdkosa of Kanhu-pada it has been said, ‘ He who has understood e-vam-kdra has understood everything completely.** This * e* has again been called the mother and the ‘ t'o ' the father and the hiadw is pro¬ duced by their imion. Again, ‘e' is the Prajha and

• ' is the Lord in sex-intercoursc, and the bindu is

the immutable knowledge proceeding from their union. This e and vajii * have also been associated with the moon and the sun. But in explaining the well-known introdu ctory line of the Sangiti literature,

• ctntYii/rl dbltnAii prajn&in ]> _ P. 4.14.

‘ffcarfnn nnrta pra/wfl vanhYimv c(S*p!/ ii/wiyafcairt j

adha-rddhva-fuimSpattiia prafUo pGi/ii^svabhavatah ||

. . —MS., p. ie(A),

’ pflff dil'iyffni wwirffrye VYipfcai'fl^&Afiajtawt}

aiatfoih Mfva-naukky&itdm buddha-ratnn^karandakam II fiaandas tatra jSpante kmtfa-bkedefta-bheditdh] k^am^jnSnat mikha-jnan/tin evankArg prati^thiiam N

-Neoajra-tanira, MS., pp, S9(A).

evntnftani fc biijjbta te tmjjhia saalu njft;Kn[— Doha **1

• IH Wflrr(r) mdlS vakams O/ pitd »NtrrYiJ^{

tii bkfwrt pm}M vokanih ituralS-dhipoh] ‘

—Z)«VF»rf™-pflrjprerfea-#(i«iw, colkeled m the

wmiruho. iBcttdaU's Edition), p,

THEOLOGTC.iL POSITION OF THE T.iNTRlC BL’DDHISTS 123

uiS!,, evaih maya irutam, etc,, the Samputikd explains evaih rather in a different way. It is said there that by * e' is to be under.'itood the earth which is Karma- mud r a, also known as Locand ; she is of the nature of ^reat compassion and great expedience's he is of the form of the 'whole universe and is known to the whole universe ; she resides in the NtnnAnn-c&kra in the lotus in tile nave. Fam implies water representing the DhflnTMi-mwdTd or the goddess Mcniaki; she is of the nature of universal love and concentration and resides in the Dhonna-cokra in the heart in a lotus ol eight petals. ^ We find this interpretation also in tJie Hevajrc-paiijikd of Kr.snaearya.* But in offering an¬ other alternative meaning of the line evani mayd ^rtitarh, etc., the Hevaira-panjika says that by ‘e ' is meant the female organ ivhile by *va' is meant Uie

• Again ma (ol matfa) is fire, •WnAa-mtiifra, Piindam is the Sambkosa-cakw in the throat; yd means air, aamnyo-Timdra, goddess Kammlftiid in the .WahatftiJthiurBftra, etc.

Cf. rfedrorh pfthivi jfifyd frornw-mtidTa tii locnndf vtahdkrpa niaAopayfl i-irfvd-riijta irisiw-gocfl™ I

ftAiW mmt&na’cakre t'o» noblinH insno-pfiiiMf H

nofrt-fcfirnm f« joJani jfifydffl (llmma'mHrfrB in inanKffttl T«flitrf-prflnKlhi-nJjw tw ilevT MfTO-muftfcc #tM(a| ilhoma-cnbre tn hfdtiye aafa-dtfMmhM/t ||

vnhnff ut lisfo malmntiidrfp ti* plnaardl muditd-hiifa-yogfna d(N:?i ptidmo-IftiJndhliavifll athtta snmbhoga*cafc« (n katyfhe dvtf-tista^ai&-mbu}f [| ufi-lfednirh vuyw-rupflsfw sartfa-iWo-prablMiwialkoh I tnaha-tamaya-mudra nai drvi ftarma-fcw/fi miilffiyfil iipch^ jHdJia-tfogfflo tarfl sarnwiro-tAKni []

—5amputr/r6, MS,, p- 10(A).

• chdrah pil^iul jncyd fcaniio-Hiiid™ tu focana |

catwAsastiWnli ftdbAsu *thitd ftirrtidt}a^akmke\ vam-kd'riistu jaloth jnf^yttm dharnia-Hii«lTn (ii rHUinaMI adfriflhita iw dhanna-cofere 11

irutarlt .mliajani ityiiittafji dnirfh'Lhferdena bhedilain | jiRthVTtati) dev fit d-nfcflf'd Hi u/paUi-AraHifl'pafc^atiilil

uiirrtf eva-Ji’arifpBrt^fii rtifjxiflBii*ki*<tiaa-paft5at«hl wtya-tlvayai/t gflifiasrilya hiidfUiiinfirh j|

—fltfVfijm-tnnfi'a,* See f/<v«jr8-patf/ifc«, MS., p. S(B).

But e/. also:— ^ ,

ekdreita locand devi i'a»ijSf«rrna maiiiakl ^rtu| rnai^firrna jwBdara cn yfifcnreTia ca timiBl i'

.^[/{•t'Of'ru-fualra, MS,, p. 4(A).

124

TSSTTB-TC 8ITDDHISM

male organ ; by is meant the sex-activity and by

srutam is impliect the double nature of the sddhana (uis., SflTiiurio and The commentator further ex¬

plains that the male is of the nature of tile seed, while the pleasure is the female —thej* represent the D/iarma- kaya and Sambkoga-kaya and botli of them are com¬ bined in the nature of the Lord (uo/rtt-dfcara). Thus

• e ' and * vo * are the two aspects of the Lord ; they are

also called samurfa and viuria which again correspond to the &unyaid and ^'ararid or Prajiia and Upaya. ^

It is needless to say tliat many of these derivations and interpretations are merely arbitrary and they are introduced to demonstrate some purely sectarian view* It is for this reason that in the ^far^nafcah'fed-^antra and in the JEfeuajVa-panjifca ail the alternative inter¬ pretations are called ‘ sectarian interpretations * (sam- praddya-vydkhyd). Thus the verse—

eaaddli jvalitd ndbhau dahati panca-tathdgatdn\ dahati ca_locanadindm dagdhe hnvi sraitate sasijp has got as many as five interpretations. In the first interpretation dli has been explained as the wind blow¬ ing tlirough the left nasal passage and kali as the wind blowing through the right.’ Again canda means Prajiia as she is very^ terrible (caadd) in destroying all sorts of afflictions; and dli here means Fa/ra-sotfua. *

’ /iiitiSnm tmftam \

mayeti calanam proktam imtam i/at tad dvtdbainatam 11 ca

iukti-k&TO tAngflvfln »r}i^am|

^Ajirma-santbft(i^a-n(pan>{irn ||

tolfia cfl

saiiYurtowt ufuitaifi fu^ha-rfip/nwN i

% anwa hi vBkycm tuttytttS-kant^ii-smbk&vam pTajiio-paya- svabbavam dharma-aambhoga-kaya-avabh&vaml

, „ . MS., p. 2{A).

• — MS., p. 4(B).

vmjuhf iadafotah

• 1,1 / —ll/vajra-paftjika, MS,, p; 0(B).

caada pTay»a kh4o^p(,kleSa.«isknTantanc (?) eaniia-«ia6Jifluofvdt 4fir vajni-jorftah |

—MS., p. 0(B),

THEOLOGICAL POSmON OF THE TANTKIC BUDDHISTS 125

Agtiin catitdd is Prajfia who is o w; and ali is Vajra- sattva wlio is fcram.' Again candd is Prajhi. which is the left nerve, while ali is Upaya or the right nerve. * Again canda, is Prajha which is discriininative know’- ledge about the transcendental nature of origination and the originated ; while ah* is the mind full of univer¬ sal compassion.* Here in these interpretations it is very easy to notice that dii has been explained as Upaya wiiich contradicts the interpretation of all tlie Tantras including the Hevajra-tantra (of which the nevajra-paiijikd is the commentary) ; d/i has also been said to be kraiii (while caiirfd is am), wliieh also is ab¬ surd and self-contradictory.

(iii) Aduaj/a (nott-dwafify) and riiganadd/ia (Prmctple of Union)

A study of the above speculations on the nature of the Bodhicitta will bring it home to us that the central point of all the Sddhand of the Tantric Buddhists was a principle of union. The synthesis or rather the uni¬ fication of all duality in an absolute unity is the real principle of union, which has been termed as Fiiganod- dha. This principle of rHganaddha is clearly explain¬ ed in the fifth chapter (Tngonaddha-fcramo) of the Paiica-krama, There it is said that wiien a state of unity is reached through the purging of the two notions of the creative process (samsafc) and absolute cessation (wirurttOj it is called Yuganadd/io. When the transcendental nature of botli phenomenal (sarii- kleia) and the absolutely purified (ui/auadano) realities is realized and the two become unified into one, it is called the Yaganndd/io. Again, when the Yogin is

^ pminn aihMrahf filir !

—Ibid., MS-, p. 10(A>.

® pra/flu vmnd ttiunf [

—Ibid,, MS., p._ 10(A).

" call# prajM ujcfirn/i j

miika-ki^rufidmayu-dttam 1

— Ibid,., MS-, 10(B).

126

TlNTElC BUDDHISM

able to synthesize the thoufjht-constructions of all coi> poreal existence with the notion of the fornilessnesSi he can be said to have known the principle of 1 uganad- dha. Thus the text goes on explaining that the real principle of Yitganaddha is the absence of the notion of duality as the perceivable (grd/ij/a) and the per- cciver and their perfect synthesis in an

unity; it is the absence of the notions of eternity and limitation and is their synthesis in an unity,—the unity of Prajna and Karuiia,—^the state of all-void (sarva- through the union of Prajna and Upaya. Where there is no notion of extinction with some residu¬ al substratum (sopadhi-iesah) or extinction without any residuum (aaiipddhi-iesal{t), i.e., no notion of the non- essentialness of the d harm as (dftarma-tiaircf m pa) or of the self (pudgafa-noirdfmya)—^that is what is called the Fuganadd/ia;—^for, the very nature of Yuganaddha involves its freedom from all kinds of thought- constructions. To realize through constant practice tlie truth of both svadkisthdna (wdiich is the third mnyatd as self-establishment or the universalization of the self) and the resplendent fprahhasiTora, which is the fourth or the final stage as sama-sunpa) and then to unite them—this is Yuganaddha. To enter into the final abode of * thatness' in body, word and mind and thence again to rise up and turn to the world of miseries—that is what is called Yugonaddha. To know the nature of samurti (the provisional truth) and the paravidrtha (the ultimate truth) and then to unite them together is real Yuganaddha. Where the mind does neither lose itself in the absolute * thatness nor does it rise up in the world (of activity)—that immutable state of the Yogin is called the state of Ywganndd/ia. Here there is neither affirmation nor denial, neither existence nor non-existence, neither non-remembering (osmrfi = non-subjectivity through the absence of the uasanas) nor remembering (smrfi), neither affection (rago) nor non-affection (araga).

THEOLOGICAL POSITt ON OF THE TANTRIC BLTJDHISTS 127

neither the cause nor the effect, neither the production (ufpatti) nor the produced (utpanna), neitlier purity nor impurity, neither anything with form, nor anything without form; it is but a synthesis of all these dualities “that is what is meant by the principle of naddha. A Yogin thus placed in yiig««cdd/ta is called the omniscient, the seer of the truth, the support of the universe;—he has escaped the snare of illusion by attaining perfect enligiitenment,—^lie has crossed the sea of birth and death,—he has attained non-dual knowledge and eternal tranquillity. This in fact is perfect enlightenment (huddhatua), — this is what is meant by becoming a Vajra-sattvat — ^this is the w'ay to attain all power and wealth. This stage is called the absorption in the Vajropama (or thunder-like) medi¬ tation,—the ntspanna krama or the absolute state, or the absorption in the Mdyopama (tllusion-like) medita¬ tion, or it is called the non-duaJ truth (advaya^tattva). Words like * unereate * non-dual ”, etc,, all refer to this. In this way the Buddhas, whose number is in¬ numerable like the sand on the bank of the Ganges, attained perfection, a stage neither real nor uareaL This principle of Yitganaddha should be meditated as well as practised, and In such a stage, the mind being absolutely free from the notion of all sorts of duality, there remains no distinction between the self and the enemy, no distinction of caste or relation; Uiere is no distinction in his mind between cloth and skin, gem and husk,—the scent of camphor or any other bad scent, praise and calumny, day and night, dream and perception, the ruined or the surviving, pleasure and pain, evil and good, hell and heaven, merit and de¬ merit*’

^ mm sil ra -ni nrf t f i kalpa nd-J vaya-varja ii fli |

irkUbhilvi> yntm ifugaiuiddhum tcid uttfuie ||

vynvadanancu jmtvfl Sfi param^rihnt^h \ ekl-bhflvam tu vetti m vtih i^iganaddhakfim \ h^kdra-bkava-mmkaipam mrdkdrfttva-kalpanAm ] yogi ftr tctii ||

12S

TANTRIC BUDDH1S51

In the yMg«Maiidrf/ifl-priifr(ala of the Advaya-vajra- samgraha it has been said about tiie principle of union that tlie nature of the union of ^tinyata and karuiia is inconipreiiensiblc; void and manitestation always re¬ main in union by nature. In the Prevta-pancaka of the Advaychvajra-samgraha, gtmyatd has been spoken of as the wife and the manifestation of $unyatd as the husband,—and the relation between them is that of con¬ jugal love which is very natural {sakajam prema ); and so inseparable are they in their deep love that siinpata without the husband of manifestation would have been dead and the husband of manifestation without sunyatd would Jiave alw^ays suffered bondage. In the Sddhana-indld it is said that the one body of the ultimate nature as the unity of both i'tinj/otd and J^aruna is called the neuter or often as the ¥^^ga- naddka.' This Yugaiiaddha is called it is the

Bodhiettta*, it is the Dharma-kaya.*

The conception of maithuna (conjugal intercourse) or kdma~kald (us it is called in t!ie Kd^na-kaldoildsa) of the Saiva hr Sakta Tanttas refers to the same prin¬ ciple, In the Kdma-kald-vildsa we find the principle

M grdhakml dvidh^^buddhir na vidyatc]

^bhinnaia tad^ha yuganaddhnktim [|

^74gAii£r(JfIAa-itinciiiid-^At/c£ni vai t^itvam tiflli ^ panditafy [| prajfm-ka r n ikyaiu jjia{nani ) i/n t m pru i^firiaff [

Hi khijfUah kran\o*if&7h ||

prfijno-pftya^sfamipnitfjnu jmtvit sarvam ^cimd^d^etA j

yutra xthito mahayogl tad bJmvut y%fganaddhakam j i>f/ Anifpcriiff na-jiti tat tnddhi yugaffaddhakam ]| yatra jriidgatn-nair^trntfa[m} dhanna^nmtrdhayam itfj api\ hitpanayfi vwikiatvaih yuganaddha^ya lok^anam || jnnivd knrmrf}a tattvajiiah^vadhi^thanii-pTabh^vaf^Tn \ tayof L'LVf mmdjath i^iiJ yuganaddhu-kramo hy ayam 1' etc^

Vrd^ Pama-kratna.

^ ekah hvahhavikah kuyah iunyutd-kamna-dvayahl ilt ytiganaddha ift kvacit |[

VoL II, pp, 5, 505*

^ (iclidr^am ifAtdiA bddAtctifdfii itfam purlin |

p. 17-

• Sekodd£ia~tlkd {G,0-S.) p- 57*

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TAXTRJC BUDDHISTS 129

very cleiiriy explained, Siva or Mahesa is pure illuDiiiia- Lion {prakasa-matra-tanu) or the abstract self-shiH’ tug though! with all the principles of activity con¬ tracted within hiui Sakti is the

principle of activity or the inherent activity of thought (uiwiari'o or hriyd-sakti) amt she contains the seed of the future worlds (h/fdui-curo-cnru-bi/titn). Siva, how'- cver, realizes liiniself through tiie §akti, and therefore it is said that Siva is tile form or beauty wliich is to be reflected in the clear-looking glass of vimaria. ‘ The philosophical implication seems to be that pure abstract thought cannot realize its own nature unless it comes back to itself through its own activity, and when it thus turns back to itself through vimaria it becomes the ‘Egobood", Thus at first there is pure thought-illumination (prakasa), then the activity (ufinursa) and by their union is produced ahainkara or the ‘Egoliood Tins principle of ‘Egohood ’ is called the ‘mass produced through the union of ^iva and Sakti’ (fwa-sakti-mithunit-pinda),^ We have already indicated that this Siva is thought of as the white matter (sifa-bmdiO and the Sakti as the red-matter (soira-hiiidi/), anti if we are to expand the analogj”, it comes to this, Lliat just as all production is through the commingling of the seed and the ovum, through the union of the male and the female, so this ‘ Egohood ’ is the son, as it were, produced through the union of the Siva and Sakti, ’ This Siva is the Kama (he who is desirable) and the iSakti is the Kald * * and tlieii* union is the Kdma~kald.

The principle of union is often illustrated in Llie Buddliist Pantheon by the representation of many of the gods embracing their consorts or female counter-

K&shinira Series of Texts and Studies, No, XII,

• /tff/., Vt:rse -5.

• KiUma-kattUviBiffif Comm, on Vctbc 7*

• Ibt(Li Cumin, on Vme 7,

0*P* 10^17

130 TAKTRIC BUDDHlSiM

parts. The Lord Supreme as the Vajra-sattva or the Vajra-^hara is often represented as embracing his con¬ sort variously called as the rajra-d/iafuisvan or Vajra- varakl or Frajn^ or Prajnd-paTamita or Nairiitjnd. Lord Heruka in the Heruka-tantra is represented as filled with erotic emotion (spigara-rnsa-sowanuitatn) and deeply embracing his consort Vajrn-vairocani in great joy of compassion (frarHim-Tiiahofsavo), ‘ In the ^r^-ca/l■rtt-Sfln^^^hara-fa«tra the Lord is depicted as em¬ bracing A’ajra-varahi who clings to him (in sexual union) and who is red in colour (red colour of love). To illustrate tlie principle of union they are dcpieled as in sexual union touching at all points of contact. ’ In the (Sadfiana'^na^u we find that Heruka, as embraced by his Prajhfi^ represents the knowledge of the non-dual union. * * Lord Adi-Buddha embraced by his Prajna is said to be the non-dual (adL'ayn) truth.* In many of ttie iSfld/iaiias ^ve find that the god to be worshipped is to be meditated on as in union with or dee]dy embraced by his female consort aiul as enjoying great bliss, * We ' have seen that the five Tathagatas or the Dhyani Buddhas, viz,, Vairocana, Aksobhya, .4niilabha, Ratna- sambhava and Amogha-siddhi, have their female con¬ sorts Vajradhatvisvari, Locatm, Mainakt, Pandara and Aryalara, and these Dhyani Buddhas or Tathagatas are generally described with their own consorts or i^aktis. It is interesting to note that many of the Buddhist gods of Nepal ani^ Tibet arc depicted in i/ab-j/iun or in union. Often the god holds the (the female) on his knee in the archaic manner of Siva hobling PiirvaLI or Uma. Thus ,4valokitesvara is often depicted as holding his Sakli on the knee.

Most of the Buddhist Tantras are SangUt in type

'■ Ihrukit-tmirOf 5LSp No. p. ai,

• pp* 27^ 2!)*

VoL ri (G.O.S.), p- 50 a.

^ p. ^^05.

• Ibid^t pp. 401| 500, 502, 520, 5S2, 5aT, 530, etc.

N

theological POSITTOK OF THE TaKTRIC BUDOHTSTS 131

and the Lord Supreme as the Bhagavan Buddha

Lord Vaira-sattva or Vajra-dhara is depicted as P^e ^ -

ing these principles of Sod/iana m an assembly of th^

Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Tathagatas and others, but

sometimes we see that the T.ord Supreme is not preac -

in- in the a^ssembly, but is depicted as exp laming the

principles of esoteric practices by way of answering the

questions of goddess Nairatma or ) ^

riniplv Varahi. who, out of compassion for tlie

beings, puts all sorts of questions as to the secrets of the

pracLes through which all beings may

tion. In tftc Heuora-fflatra we

Nairatma, dceplv moved by the miseries of the

is entreating the Lord to explain all the

which the suffering world may be cteltvcred. The Lord

is moved by her request; he kisses her

coaxes her in deep embrace and explains to her al

s^cTets of Yoga through which all beings may be

liberated/ In one place, however, goddess

asks the Lord to explain what is meant by their CaUa.

The Lord replies that it is a place with four

four doors decked with V a; r a-threads; within it le-

mains the Lord with the Lady in deep passion of

the nature of Sahaja-bliss; and from their

ceed all the goddesses in all the quarters. The I ajm

ndrdld-LlpamaM-tentra,^ the Ekalla^na^an^

^roMntra\ etc, are written entirely as <ha-

logues between t he Lord and the Lady in exactly the

■’ HevafTa-tantrit, MS. p. 5S(U).

j,rcehati tutra ^ ,,

Um-ra mrio p"tSl4

Cf. olfio PP- eHBK 00(A). 60(B>.

» MS. pp. S* *S(B)'50(A).

= R.A.S.B., MS. No. nSSS.

• R.A.R.B,, MS. No. OOfiB.

132

TAKTBTC BUDDHISM

same manner as described above. In the E^aHc-uira- canda-maha-rosatia-tantra tlie Lord says that in the form of the unity of ilie four kinds of bliss, free from all notions of existence and non-existenoe—^as the prjnciple of non-pltenomenalisni, lie resides in all men ; while the Lady rejilies that site also, in the form of the unity of iiinyata and karuna, as the ‘ non-eonstruct ’ bliss, resides in all women, ‘ It may be noted that the Hindu Tantrns are also generally introduced by way of a dialogue between Lord Siva and his Sakti Parvati ; there also, Parvati (who is the mother of the world as Prajria also is), out of deep compassion foV tlie heings, asks the T^^ird ahoid the path through which the beings may be liberated, and in way of replying to the questions of Parvati Lord Siva explains to her" all the secrets of \ oga. It is indeed very hazardous to postu~ late on the basis of this similarity of form in the Buddhist and the Hindu Tantras any theorv concern” ing the priority of the one to the other; it is, never¬ theless, to be admitted that the resemblance is striking, and in later time witli the gradual decay of Buddhism and the revival of Hinduism the Buddhist I^rd Supreme with his female counter-part could very easily conceal himself behind the Hindu god Siva with his Sakti Parvati or Gaurf or Durga, This cemfusion betiveen the two pairs of the Hindu and Buddhist (livinities is palpable in the Hindu-Buddhist vernacular literature of India.

iiirljM najiinsti tjr 7»Mhaf^ sarva paiii-vapmi

filiflni hilB-rrASj/a pB>ica-/rur(na sanisfSifBh ||

&pady,*dam udnjah^ra,- ivnyat&~kaTvya-bhmTia dn'ga-kama-iiukha-sthita]

Harva-kaipa-vmua^hnm nrfpmpn»<ra iiiriiltuld J|

imrn na jnna^ti ye nttn/ah sorva-Hrt-deha-samithitiim I

pfinai^kar^mi mimthiiUjul

bhftfSavatUdvcmviijnm

fumbayitva mmahiigya cahnantrayatK whh | ^

devi devl mithfi-mmyajh rnhasyath ca*l{.dudttbha>rt\ etc.

MS. (R.A,S.B,, No. 0080) pp. i(D).2(A).

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OP THE TANTRIC BUDDHISTS 188

The Buddhist Tantric literature of the Satigiti class (t.e., where Lord' Buddha liimsclf is depicted as the preacher of the truth contained in the body of the book) invariably begins with the sentence—coani maya s^rutRm eka&niin samaye bhogavan sarva-tatha- gata-kaya-vak-citta-k rdaya-vaj ra-yo»it~bhagesu vija-

hara. The general meaning of the sentence is — ‘It is heard by me that once upon a tin^e, the Lord sported in the heart of super-human knowledge arising out of the body, speech and mind of all the Tathagatas*. But the line has been exjdained tn \'^arious ways in various Tantras ami their comnienlaries. Of course, as pointed out before, in many cases the interpretation is absolutely sectarian and as such purely arbiti'arj% The word h/uiga may be (and has often been) explained to mean the six super-human qualities, viz., all sovereignty (aisuarifa), energy (ulryw), fame (ya«tts), beauty (sri), knowledge (/wana) and detachment

and taking this meaning the above line

may be explained in the following way : the lord shone in bliss in the transcendental qualities belonging to the body, speech and mind of the Tathagatas. But the Gukya-s^iddki of Padmavajra says — ‘ Tliere is renowned Prajfia who is divine and who sanctions all fulfilment; that which remains in her is called the syllable bhaga, — that is the pure truth ; and 1 have worshipped it from the standpoint of the absolute,' ^ Here it seems that the truth (tattva) that remains in union with Prajna is the Lord himself, I’hus the aphorism (euam maj/d, etc,) means that the Lord remains in union with Prajna in the form of the tatttia. .4gain it is said, that the Lord of mind is the bkagavdn and Prajna is the Vajra-yosit (the adamantine woman), and there (in the I^'fl/ra-yosit) sported the I,,ord in the form of great

^ mddhi^pmdn jtrajur^li

ijat bJwgnm ity |

ton mayo ^uddho-totim-hhiiQm »evitmh pnranmrihufoh ||

Guhyit-^iddhi, MS, p> 9,

T^fN’TRTC BUDDHISM

134

bliss, ‘ Again it is said, that all non^ionstractive and unis^ersal knowledge, condensed into a mass, is tlie void- element in the form of the h/iaga,* This void-element or ^tmynfd is the Prajna; and the Prajna is depicted as the eternal and infinite object of joy of the I^rd of elements (Bkiif a-natfta) ; she is pure in the beginning, in the middle and in the end,—and she comes from Fn/ra-knowledge and remains as Sat}ivr«i (provisional or phenomenal) j she is known also as fmrnic-ntudra ,* and moved by her kindness towards the beings she condescends to take human forms (as women). *

In spite of the above we may say that whatever might have been the original meaning of the epithet vajra-yo^t-bhaga, it began to be taken in later times in its sense as the female organ; and the Lord (repre¬ senting Lord Buddha), instead of being conceivetl as preaching in the assembly of the adept, began to be conceived os dallying with Prajna or his female counterpart and this will be confirmed by the manner in which the dialogues of the ^akarnava (ed. by MM. II. P. Sastri) are introduced. *

^ bhaguvan iti nirdistajii pmbftuftl

pmjfia ml ^avajri^u-tmaha ||

vimhoTa tatah iyfinfm M-mQhfisukha-v^jrinnh ||

ftifrf., Pp 17 ,

• mrL^ikaJpaka^sar^mjjla-fmtm^ pindlkftnth iu |

Krtrtta(vi) If at ifidgnrn ^fciirfl-rrip^’Jiii tai kha-dhaium iti twirlciflil

p. 17,

namnd prujile^ti vikhffdtd d(Ji-fniarffcya-iiffl-ntrinal4 ]

9thiin sa}hvftti-TBpcnQ fii v(i}Ta-}Mn{^-mmbhavB\ kfiTifiQ-mudre^ti vikhpdla |

ianam Mrii^a I

p, 14.

^ The text begins witb the liiiti—et'nm rnitf/S ifT^itritn ^kasjnm S(i nwji'^ h hiiffavdn im^hd-vJr^-h'aTii ( h } mrvn-^ta f Aa

Then the Mnhavirt^varfl be^s t*

nurrfi'te his experiences in the but the goddess

’^'arahS interferes niid pub questions to the Lord« and the Iword goes ™ replying to her questions nnd refflov^ing all he? doubts. ]}tikf{rna^ii (Sastri)i p. 135..

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTHIC BUDDHISTS 133

(iv) (J^ectfan) uiiil Maharaga {Grcal

A^ection),

I

Another factor to be noticed in esoteric Buddhisnv is the conception of rti^a which ordinarily means deep attachment. In the it has been said —

• Neither attachment (ro^a) nor detachment (oiVoga),

nor any intermediate stage is perceived; here the nature of rdgo is attachment and the nature ol nirdga is arrest (mradho) *. * The word raga is also used for A'arund. In the I*m/nopd|/fl'Uinit%oj/fl-siddA< it is said that fcrpd or compassion is called raga because it makes happy <ra 7 Vjati) or saves (roAsttff) all the beings who are deeply immersed in the sea of sorrow. In the Jvala- vali-vajTa'indla-lufitTa we find the word raga used for Upaya, ’ But gradually the word began to acquire the meaning of intense and transcendental bliss arising out of the sexo-yogic practice, which is the means or the expedient (updpa) for attaining the Bodhieitta or tine Sahaja which is of the nature of great bliss (mafia- sukha). in the Knyd-sarngrafic it is said that the iicctar-like Bodhieitta is to be meditated on as melt-

Againl —

kiiihmjaniu si3dJiiT \\

tiiMtfimy ahfl m a /id f £t?u-|?cfrd m-h r txikam \

frdf/icit^drrit Kiammata Hprvekdgrata-ttima ||

Ibid., p« IST.

^ ua TsgQ na ca j

tatra Tuga dsakli-tuk^^uno vmigo nirodhum nia/aiitl MS- p-

See al 5 « /leru/fn-lunlm* MS, p. 22(BJ+

Cfu alfio,—rffim-lfd/ta-fHritro quoted in tlie CaiQhgHC 0 } Suns. Buddhist MSS., R.A.S.B., VoL 1, p- 100.

Cy. also,—na Tdgo ipu vitS^un fu mndb^mnd ito^jjdfnbbj/uff |

rrctf/dnd»f varfanud soinbinlbiV uci^ati- |||

Buddha-frn/>6Jrt-^cJw(Ta-(iA'a of Abhayalsura Gupta,, MS, (R.A-S.B., No. 3S27) p.

■ WLtanadddu-^riuhdfd^ah uthifo yutra napm/ntiAroh 1

MS, p, lOlB).

136

TANTHlC BUDDHISM

ing through mahsmgo.' In the Hevaira-tantr- uUo we find that the Lord Supreme and Ids Sakti deep union iu the nature of Sahaja-bliss through the affection of intense emotion.’ In justification of the sexo-yogic practice in esoteric Buddhism it has often been said that man is bound through emotion or at- taclimenl and he is again liberated through tliat verj" emotion, ’ It is further discussed, if perfect knowledge is attainable through the emotion of intense attach¬ ment, then all beings attached to worldly objects and sex-emolions miglit have been delivered; but it is warned that only by enjoying objects the incessant bliss arising out of great emotion {muharaga-Hukha) cannot be realized ; wiahdraga-suA’/ia can only be real¬ ized after one has attained perfect knowledge about the immutable nature of the objects which transcends the threefold principles of defilement fh/iasatrai/a). It

■ mrtha-Tti'Vi-n

In the commentarr of the rflgfl hai Wn

expluLneff as the mac emotions !«*«)

MHHrrtiJUHi ?ti' rfni^!«fa-ifHnooH-rasrt-Ji(ihaa»n/ B. N. fauns, No- S3. U. 30(A>. In the commentary of the hhh Dohn of iht fyofmk^ of Ksiiha-pndfl the word has been explained id the toUow-

ine mannw,—“The anion of Prtiiiia ^d tpaya is the union IhMC, he (the Yo^n) is the hero, beeaa^ he controls ojl hv the strcniilh of his incessant and ink-nsc emotion inwAAm^o). itUpTn)n^I>i,i,a^or /r

ccftinnrt-imifH'jrrt^Sa-tiifJertu viraga’-dtilatmil virahf [MS. B. N.

No 47 I). 41(B)1. Ajzairt jufff'hni uiftanrimfci* (m the MiBif Doha) UVtod as.-‘Exp^i«.ces undischarged bliss of the nature of intent emotion (mrtfuirfl^a) through his uj union SHr^n-

omiWiflUoO ty arthafyf MS.

njfllo-rdg<i'imrtt;jertfl fflhojfl'ncmdB-svflrJlfKifBh |

MS. p. S5(B).

» rii'ViiP I’rtdhjfnfi. lofco riij'fHaa'u hi inticynkl utrKiritrt-h/Hlivmd hi/ c«(i m jiMffl ernddhu-JirfftiAfni^

Quoted in tlie Comm* of the Doha? oi Kanhu-pttdfl*

MS. B. N. Sans. .Vo, 17.. p- 43(B). . „ ,

In the Si(bhdajtfi-J(iTiiigTO/ia this verse is □scribed to the Truja-

also,—iiaiiijofc tUco vahnidah&ih ro rpftnijia|

MS. <R..\.S.B., No.

eoao) p. 22(B),

imOLOGICAL posmos of the TaNTRIC BUDDHISTS 13t

is further confirmed by the authority of the Jiidna- va}Ta-$amuccaya-mabd-yoga-tantra where it is said that those, wlio are attached only to sex-intercourse, never attain perfect knowledge of the nature of intense emotion (mahdraga) ; on the other hand, he who, through the intense joy arising out of the sexo-yogic practice, perfectly knows tlie nature of the principles of dchlement (prajtrfy-dfehflsa) can enter into the bliss of intense emotion (iRahdrdga-SMfrho). * Thus it is clear that the intensity of bliss through wliieh the mind attains a transcendental stage where all the l»rincipies of phenometialisation and defilement vanish away, is the mahdrdga. In the ^Jdft’iKi-t’ojra-pnnjflra it has been said that the Yogin of the nature of great emotion and absorbed in the Samddhi of intense emo¬ tion should adorn and adore the ^/ohomHclrd through deep attaehineiiL to great emotion. * TJie w'orld is pro- duce<.i through emotion and is again destroyed through the abandonment of it by mere indulgence in sex- passions and dtscliarge of the matter without knowing tlie fflftca) ; by the knowledge of its transcendental nature miiitl becomes the A'^ajra-sattva.* Again it is said in the Citta-visuddhi-prakarana that man is affect¬ ed by his emotional and passionate mind, but is also liberated throvigh the enjoyment of passion. * The wise should save himself from passions with the help of the passion. *

So, it is clear from the above, that the word rdga was used to signify inlease bliss of emotion which is produced through the methodical and weli-controlled

‘ Com. Ms. B.Jf. Suns. No. p. 'l'l(A)'. See also pp.

“ umhii~fdg&-nUfa^cna mahd^m^a^Vfibhdvat^h] mnha-taga-sufimdhi^tho mahil-mndT^rh pzait^dhatjrt {|

• faga-hsepat kiQifum gaffihj

v4ijra-rag£t^punjMn^t vujm-mttvo j|

Quoted in ihti

• mjiiaie ragu-bhogenn muegitte j|

Vctsc 35p

• Jin'll [|

Verse 67,

O.P. 10^18

138

TANTRIC BUDDHIISM

union of the Pi ajha and the Upuya ; it is tins emotion, wliicli, because of its higfhest intensity, would absorb alt the other constructive functions of the mind within it and thus would bring about the liberation of the Yogin*

(v) famurasa

Closely associated with the idea of ruga or trans¬ cendental emotion is the idea of sartiarasa or the same¬ ness or oneness of emotion. In a deeper sense sama- rasa is the realisation of the oneness of the universe amidst all its diversities,—^it is the realisation of the one truth as the one emotion or the all-pervading bliss. The meaning of sainarosa is >vell explained in the Hevajra-tantra, where it is said that, in the Sahaja or the ultimate stage, there is the cognition of neither the Prajna nor the Upaya, Lliere is no sense of difference anywhere. In such a stage every thing whether the lowest or the middle or the best—all should be realised as the same/ The self should lie realised as neither something static nor something dytiainic;—through the transcendental meditation on the underlying oneness of the cosmic j>rinciple every thing should be view-ed as of the same character and function.' The w'ord samaraso has been explained here thus ,—mma means the * sameness ’ ami rasa belongs to its cycle (eafcra); thus sarnurasa means the oneness of the nature of all that is there in the cycle of existence,’ SaumruffO actually means the realisation of self in the whole universe or tiie realisation of tlje universe as the self. Tlie universe is said to have come out of ttie self, it is pervaded by the self — nothing else is fomid anywhere.

‘ hina-maHhtf&-tkTifU'\jiy fiu anifom j/rtwi tani ca \

Ilcvofm-inaim, MS. p. 22(B).

^ Sthlm^ahm jr;«Mi »ftrve timVti tmivu^hnm\

tativti-hhlvitnaih J|

IbitL^ MS* p. 22(B)~23(A).

• mmurn (tiiyain ii^j ukiinh rti^uh Kin rfrtM

tamaratun Ju efai6hat'(i(i,’«f« ffend't'tttrnn frlitniyate H f^ii

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TlNTRIC BUDDHISTS 139

This realisation of the univ^erse as the self is called the suafanirj/am ‘ which is explained in the commentary as the state of absorption in the bliss of self-realisation. All existence, static and dynamic including grass, plants and creepers, etc., are to be realised as the highest truth of the nature of the self; amongst them there is nothing which is other than the self,—for the ultimate nature of all things is ‘great bltss' subham) which is to be first realised v^dthin the self.* At that time the five elements earth, water, air, fire and ether shake off the distinctive features of diversity and in no way do they disturb the oneness of the transcend¬ ental emotion ; heaven, earth and hell become one within a moment and they can no more be recogniset! as the self or the not-self, ' In the Abhiseka-patafa of the same text we see that the Guru (or the Preceptor) should explain to the disciple (and also make him realise) the soma rasa, ‘ whiifli is nothing but a know-, ledge to be realised within, which is free from the notions of the self and the not-self, which is sky-like, stainless, void, which is of the nature of both existence and non-existence and which is the ultimate truth; it is a combination of both Prajiia and Upaya—bereft

^ mqd'-bMuffrfr ft I jagftt-mnwh vaid-bhavom bhuvaTta-fraifam \ vy&ptam idam aanmm /^gaf '|

matva fw ti/ii jcarin^lhrtfzft |

m hidkyati na mndeho mmdn-ptinyo'pi mAnavah |j pHfif fflfftw

JirSlUFifri/fint hi tntn r/i1#i ( ?) ||

Ibid., MS. p. !>3(A). ^

^ sihira^calM ca ye. f

bhAvtjnjtie irai ptirarpi lultvi^m dtiiia-iiiQi'a-svarwpflfcflWi H ic&Am eJeam param [

bhavet mddhih »vu-mmveduA hibh&vuna ||

Ibid., MS. p. 2a(B).

^ pTthivl Aptix rq icjn dkAmm ruq ra |

tfliiTidf .furue ca I'adhyattte ^va-para’^mhvitti-vedanam i|

rA'a-muffij- bhaVet frsnnat |

^va-pnni'^bhuva-^^nialprfia naiva iahynte ||

Ibid.j MS. p. 24(A).

• kAriiavyan ca tatmiva mmammm Ki^ya-j!iicam}n ji

ibid.f MS, p. 27(A).

140

TaKTRIC BITDDHISM

of both raga and vimga ; that is the life of the crea¬ tures, the ultimate and imnititable, ail-pervading and belonging to all the bodies—that is the great life iden¬ tified with the universe,' Thus samaram in its philo¬ sophical bearing means the same thing as the advaya or the yuganaddftuJ' In the

tattva-siddhi it Jias been said that when one enters into the state of Mahasukha, produced through the union of Prajna and Upaya, a state free from all thought constructions, the whole world becomes of the nature of a unique emotion in the form of . Mahamkha. Through this unique emotion of bliss the whole world as static and dynamic lakes the form of Muhasukha and all become one. *

In the Carya-padas and the Dokas of Saruha and Kanlm the word samarasa is used freely in the sense of advaya. It is said in a song of Bhusuka-puda tiiat as

bracer iiianatU fnm~}iara-mmv}tii-varjtUi»i f vinijam xunymU libtlva-bbavi-tmakmh iiamm |- pra}iio-p6ya-vtjatimifrQiii rSga-Tn^a-vhartittiml

m eva pru^wam pranaht :id tva iMTattiu-kxarak || evastm tarva^^he uj/diruirtAi'raA | sa iiHiha-pramh sa ci'a’sdM jnganmay'ah fl

in n.^ in roadings ore olso found

0/. r^hcT the where it is mjd thot jtflMias.jrd is the

that satnaram i» the

unifiue knowledge about ah existence,

Trtgtfn cQb)a vifaguH ta miSnkrtaht nnirijifarH | tatha Taga-urtigabbyum fkah sHimamsak ksonahl samariimk mrvn-bMt^nilm samnyas iv rJtfi iicyir^fl

• Tn IK,, j,‘ . j. I , Samptitiko, MS. p. 10(B).

that of KuddilVpada it h said

l™!fi tTanseendental knowledHc ofX

form of mmaraga, they are aon-diml in nature.

advaya-kora-itarL-aii tu dvaynm etai nil I’tduotel Sflvwtn wtnnrosd-karem acintya.jSkmi.jambhmaL Jj - .. (CX.B.), p. Ui«(B>,

pariUjakta-

ttpaga 1 a-ka.

THE0L0GIC.4L POSITION OF THE TaNTHIC BUDDHISTS 141

water mixed vrith water leaves no difference of anv kind, M also the jewel of mind enters the sky of sama- rasa. In somarasa both the positive and negative aspects of the mind vanish; it is pure and free from all existence as well as non-existence.^ Where the mind sets m, all bondage is torn off,—there in a non-dual state every thing becomes same, tlierc IS neither the Sudra nor the Bralmiana. ' Samarasa is that state where the mind enters into tlie vacuitv as water enters into water; it is tlie receptacle of all merits and demerits. * It is said by Kanha-pada,—* He who has made his mind steady in samarasa winch is the Sahaja, becomes at once perfect, no more will he suffer from disease and death.* If the mind is absorbed in his (mind's) wife (i.e., siii^yata) as salt is absorbed in water, there follows samarasa which is on uniciue state of mind with a never-failing flow of oneness. * This ^amorasa or the samarasya is the union of the Praiha and the Upaya. * In the Hindu Tantras also the word samarasya is extensively used in the sense of the union, or rather the oneness of emotion proceeding from the union of Siva and Sakti.

' jinm jah- jmnia itiUn bheda tta /Ira| finw tiiana (rNomnii, Si,;.) rafltia (aana. Sic.)

gaatta sainaa Var^a-padti. Song No. 13,

i*!.' jomdi'asf

(^astTl's Edilion),

• jnhi jai citto iahi xunaliu

^ _ Dnfta o! Tillopoda, No. M, (Dr. Basthi^s Edition). javve mhmn&na jUi tuUoi VQtitlhanal

tavve jariirjrtTJo sakajr vajjtti (tou mrfda wo voinhu-nn || Doha of Saraha No. 4®. - - u

‘ iaita vi paifai jdaki jitJu tattai «aiftarn«n ft(„ |

•losagwfKlflra vatiha parivahkha koi 'I

Doha No, 7+, ■ ii

jr^a hia samtiTiisE nfatrinnA raa \

Kiddho jro ;jn^u iioa /VdifiaMfidlin m bhSa I'

DohS No. 10, ■ '

• /mm hna yiUijiti jMtiithi fima g^nrini fai dffa | sBinnriisa jdi tnkkhanc jai punu te sama nitia 11 Doha No. 32. ‘

' iira/rlo-pajo-tiwAa-gifAj^am Mmiirawi.ldfctffllm ( ?) ucuate Subhafttasamgraha, p. tJO. ' *

142 TlSTRlC BUDDHISM

(vi) Mahdsiikha (5upre?Jte Biiss) As The Final Goal'.

Niyvdna And il/dhasuWia

The next important thin.? to he considered is the conception of nirca^a as ISIalmsukha. The problem of making out the exact implication of the conception of Min?ana is rather a stumbling block with the Buddhist scholars ; the reason for it is that^ though it is the most highly spoken of in many of the canonical and philoso- phical texts, it is, and by nature could he, the least ex¬ plained. Not that its nature has been least discussed, hut that out of all the controversial discussions it is not possible to form any definite notion about it, and in general it is the unspeakable transcendental nature of ^ifn^naa that has variously been emphasised. Buddha himself observed the principle of significant silence with regard to the problem of nirvana and it is in consonance with his general agnostic attitude to¬ wards all the metaphysical problems. According to some scholars, however, the problem of mVi'ano was no vital question with primith-e Buddhism which was concerned more with the four noble truths (arprt- sotya) than witli the problem of the after world/

(.A) XiBVANw As A Positive State Of Bliss

Apart from the controversial views of the scholars as to whether the conception of nirvaiio in early Bud¬ dhism was positive or negative, we may say for our¬ selves that tliough tlie Buddliist conception of nirt'ano from the early time may admit of negative interpreta¬ tions, the description of its positive character is not also wanting. The etymological meaning of the word ^ is an eternal stoppage to a flowj and in this sense we mav take the word to imply the complete cessation

' r»|p‘ Tlie PHneipifi nj IIitlMutiiiu BwWfcitfJii by StiKuki,

ch. xni.

»Tbc void TifTT!JS«n is derived ss in>+ {fmwd with the ^ vrl + ta Tiie prefix nir LmpUes tK'gntion, the root <va mcfliiB to bloir and the suffix ta is uddtd in the impersonni voice bfravn-

1

i

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTBIC BUDDH[ST5 143

of the cycle of birth and death. The derivation of the word also gives the meaning of the blowing out as of a lamp, or, the eternal tranquillity resulting from the cessation of all the and ^ams/i'dras and the

consequent escape from the life of birth and death. From this idea of traiiquillisation the word developed the meaning of perfect peace. From the discourse of Reverend Nagasena with king Milinda in the ilfdinda- panlio, (which is a Pali work of antiquity) it appears that wliatcver might have been the philosophical con¬ cept of nirua^a, it was something positive so far as the popular belief vvas concerned/ The clement of nirudna (nibkana-dhatu) is said to be quiescent (saata), bliss (sukha), excellent (panUa), it is to be attained througli perfect knowledge (pannd) by the removal of the deep- rooted impressions {sankhdra). Just as a man burn-

^ Nigasena cxpluinf! to the Iviog Lhat it is uqI possible to speak of any d^ipite form (rii/Mi) or tiitoatioii or time

or evidence (jHitmtm) of niTvana either tiuough any example (opaniind) or cauiie or reason or sy^stem of

iiirruiNi; but as we cannot say anything about the denizens of heavenj yet wc do believe m iheir existence, so also the existence of nirv6na should be believed iti^ though we eatmot say snything about it^ Neverthelesi;* mn-fitiu has got its qualities It

contains one gutjta of the lotus^ two gufios ol water^ three of

medicine, four giciids of the ocean, hve giinm of eating, ten of the sky, three "wans of the precious jewel, three gutjitiB of red sandal, three of the soppi-iatfttda (prepara lions from butter)

and five jJtiniiS of the pefkk of the mauntain. As the lotus is never wet in water, so also nirvana is never affected by the afRlctions (j:r^esa)» As water h cold and quenches thirst, so also piiri'anu Is enoL and calm through the extinction of the klcias and it al^o quenches our thirst {tan Ad) for all I he worldly desires. As medicine (ogada) is the cure of a man uffected with poison, so, fim^ana is the cure of all the {noison of affilotions Like medicine

Tjindwa removes all sorrows and is itself jicetar (nmefa). Like fooil mrumia gives us strength and tiiergy and it sustains us throughout. Again like the sky nirtiaioi is not prudueed, it does not produce, it jjs meomprehensible, uncrcate, unveiled, inhinte like the sky* Like a precious jewel nin.-^aa fulLils otir desires; like red sandal it is rare Olid scented; like the preparation from butter (isfippt-niayda) it has colour and qualities fgnnu-i’opnri-jiainpannani), scent of gofxi couduet (^fa-gandAa-soiiipauarjriii), and is tasteful (r024a^,*faiiipaanam)f like the mountoin peak it is Inlty, immutable, difficult to be attained, and destroyer of the seeds of aHlictions.

I

144

tantric buddhism

ing i)i a great fire escapes the fire through his own effort and enters a hretess place and enjoys supreme bliss there, so also, a man, wlm through deep reflection on the nature of things gets rid of the threefold lire of r«go (passion), dvena (hatred) and moha (attachment), obtains which is supreme bliss (parama-

Riikhu).' Though in Pali literature we often find iiirurtuu described as something unspeakable, yet in course of poetic description we find it described as the supreme (param), tranquil (sanfa), pure (uisudd/ja), excellent (panita), cahii (sanii), immutable (akkhara), eternal (d/rruoa), true (sacca), infinite ((inaNtn), uncliaiiging (GCCMfa), permanent (sassafa), immortal (ariiafa), un¬ born (a/flffl), iincreate (asamkhala, ahata), eternal (kevalaj, all good (sfoa) and the safety of Yoga (yoga- kkhema}, etc. It is, as Rhys Eavtds puts it," “the harbour of refuge, the cool cave, tlie island amidst the floods, the place of bliss, emancijiation, liberation, safety, tranquil, tlie home of ease, the calm, the end of suffering, the medicine for all evil, the unshaken, the ambrosia, the immaterial, tlie imperishable, the abid¬ ing, the further shore, the unending, the bliss of effort, the supreme joy, the ineffable, the detachment, the holy city, etc. In the Suttn-nlpatQ niTviiifa is spoken of as the quiescent. In the ^lctjjhiftui-ji.ikuya nirvunu has been described as a higher bliss than the acquisition of perfect health j the eightfold path alone leads to perfect peace—to ambrosia.' In the Ahguttara it has been said that a man by'^ removing all his impurities attains nirvano and thus is relieved from all kinds of

’ Kd. by V, Trenckner, pp. 326-21.

or gctitTttl ilificussion on oiri'-tittii in ihe ^filindit^ptiaho fii?e

pp. 316-826.

• .1 Dtetujunrtj o/ PdU Liingiiase. See Uie word riibb^tin,

• Kdfitr'tt nittfrfl^arii Anfed, etc. ifrrrf., p. tl^a.

• riroggtyjHtrumiltiibhii mbbaitaih parunuirit

ftr inn^^unaj;; frftfwitrp,i (Ji/i«lu-carniinjih 91 .Udj/JitiHKi, 1 , 508 , ef, Dhainmapada. Vem. a 04 .

THEOLOGICAL POSITIO^" OF THE tIxTRIC BL'DDHISTS 143

sorrows-* In the F(H)finn’i7aff/iri iiiruaria is spoken of as an immutable state where there is no suffering any more/ In the T/ieri-gaf/ia it is said that eternal bliss can be attained tlirougii the attainineut of .471^11 ftara describes it as the supreme safety attained through Yoga. Sanjittta-njttQya describes it as nectar- like (ainatoffl = immortal?), quiescent and inmiulrable (aniatam santim nibbtiria-pailam acciita»i). Similarly the Dkammapada speaks of it as the path to peace** as the supreme bliss,’ In the Katha-Tfatthu it has been said that the self or the soul (piigga/a) is not permanent (sossafa) like nirvarfa,* By a study of the views of Buddhaghosa as expressed in the Visvddhi- maggo against the Sautrantika view of tlie negative conception of tiirvana we may come to the conclusion that according to Biidditaghosa nitx'aaa is some posi¬ tive state of mind readied through the four kinds of ihanas. It is of the nature of peace (sonfi (rt/richayrtm) and is a never-failing intuitiA^e flow (accidi-rasaiH), The well-known lines of the Itivutluka, viz,, aft/ti bhikkhave ajdtam abhuiam akatam asankhatam (there is that, 0 Bliiksus, which is unborn, unoriginated, un¬ create and unproduced) also suggest a positive con¬ ception of nfiaiona.

Without multiplying instances we may conclude that in early Buddhism Ave do not find any consistent and clear-cut conception of nm’nwa, — it is sometimes described negaliA^ely (particularly by the Sautran- iikas), but sometimes positively, and on tlie ivhole it

• malam Nffc’&flnft-Aarnpcrrfaml

miiccfih' mhba-dtikkh^hi -ut holi mbbQ-mmjmda 1

Anguttfimi TV* 2419 (Quoted by Rhys DavLds)i^

^ yathti rjfi

rfT?i4na-r(2f(^iir, 51,

^ nibbaim-lthflfiC vimuttA U piifM ft- actiiarh itiikknm\ Tkitl^Sathar 350-

• eva bruhatjn nibbflnftih f(csitam\

Dhammapitiht^ 2S5^

^ etttm yuth^^bJifitam nibbQuam pcirfaitmiPi |

203* 20 L

• no (p. (Quoted by Bihi Dutta).

O.P. 105—10

146

TaKTHIC BUBDHISII

seems that a conscious or unconscious positive tendency predominates over the negative one.

Coming to the Maliayana we find that the iladliya- mikas spoke of nin^ana not as sonietliing which is to be attained through the destruction or arrest of any¬ thing whatsoever, it is but the complete cessation of all mental constructions. It is the destruction of nothing, the attainment of nothing,—it is neither annihilation nor externa] existence, it is neither the supressed nor the produced^—this is what is meant by nirt’aTio, It is extremely diflicult to conceive what this niiucna may be; but with this transcendentalism of Nagarjuna we may compare the transcendentalism in the realisation of the Brahman as described in the Upanisads ; but the great difference between the Upanisadic conception of the realisation of tlie highest truth witli its conception as found in Nagarjuna is that, whereas, in spite of all tJie negative descriptions, the Upani^ds are definite on the point that in the realisation of the Brahman, or, tiie complete merging of the self in the absolute, there U infinite positive bliss,—Nagarjima will not allow niruana to be determined by any categorical descrip¬ tion whatsoever.

Candrakirti in liis commentary on the Madhyu^nika-vHiu however, quotes tlie view of a school of thinkers according to whom there are two distinct types of mVoana,—viz., mraiiiio with some residual substratum (sopddhi^^esa) and nirooiia with¬ out any residual substratum at all (nirapad/n-sesa).' In the Visuddhi-magga also Buddhaghosa mentioned these two types of nirvdita. In Pali literature we often find mention of savupddhi-sesa-ntbbdiin and ana/jadfii- sesa-nfhbana corresponding to the above division. In the Advaya~vajra-samgraha also ive find these divisions maintained. Prof. La Vallee Poussin, however, is inclined to connect these two divisions of niruowa with the Sautrantika division of prati-samkhya-nirodha and

• Cb, XXV, LSvi's Edition.

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE tXNTRIC BUDDHISTS 147

apratisam/iJiyd-nfrod^ia, We may> however, refer here to the conceptions of Sa»lpr^(jfla^a and the Asairi- nraiJidfo Samadhi of the Patafijala-yoga system. _

We have seen tliat in the otlier school of Mahayana Buddhism, viz., the school of Vijnana-vada, the ulti¬ mate reality began to be more and more positively de¬ scribed, and consequently the conception of nirvana also became positive. In the Tathuta-doctrme of Asvaghosa it has been said that when through the eradication of the root-instincts or the complexes the disturbance in the subjective realm is destroyed, we become free from all processes of false idealisation and can realise the truth as the ' thatness ’ or the ‘ oneness underlying all phenomena, and the complete eraihca- tion of individuation and the realisation of the that- ness’ as the oneness or the totality of the universe is what is meant by nirvana. In such a state, there is no activitv of the consciousness, and through the cessation of all conscious processes there remain only eternal calmness and quiescence. In the Saundaraiianda Kdvya of Asvaghosa it has been said of jwi'vflna, As the light, when blown out, goes neither towards tlie earth nor towards the space above—neither towards any quarter, nor towards what is not a quarter, but attains nerfect calmness due to tlie complete exhaustion of oil , so also, when one attains extinction, one goes '^either towards the earth nor towards the space above, neither towards a quarter nor towards what is not a quarter, but due to the annihilation of the afflictions attains

eternal quiescence. ‘ ... \

In the Vijhana-vada doctrine of Asanga and \ asu- bandhu nirvana means the realisation of the void- nature of both the self and of the external objects. But ^unvata with them is no nilnl, d is not the ab^lute denk) of any reality; it is but the negation o subject¬ ivity and objectivity, pure consc iousness (vijnapti-

published by the E.A.b.B-, Ch, verses

148

I^CNTRIC BUDDHISM

tnatrufa) is the one ultimate reality. In nirvana these grdkya and grdhaka are anniliilated, but the pure consciousness remains. This pure consciousness is the a/jorwia-^ai/o, — ^it is the uiidifferenLiated absolute one¬ ness.^ But can it be said that tliis dharma~kdya is a positive state of absolute bliss ? The ^'ijuatia-vadins do not make any definite reply to this question ; but in the Fi/napii-matrafG-s/ddAi H has been said about tlie nature of the pure consciousness,— “ It is the immut¬ able element which is beyond the reach of all menta¬ tion; it is alt good, permanent, perfect bliss,—it is hbcration—the substance itselfAccording to the \Jjjutna-viidiiis there is no heterogeneity between saiii- s«ro and tiimcna ; but the perfect knowledge of the sanisarn as the stla|;atQ or as the pure consciousness (according to the V'ijnaiia-vadiiis) is itself niri’ann,

(B) NravAis’A As Mahasltcha L\ The Buddhist

Taotras

From the above we may conclude that from the early period down to the period of Vijiiana-vada the conception of niruaim admits of positive interpreta¬ tions, at least in a popular way, if not in the strictly philosophical sense, and it is descrEbed in some places not only as positive but as intense bliss. Tfvis concep¬ tion of nirvaija as intense bliss was elaborated to a great ien^h by the Vajra-yajiists, particularly by the Sahaja-yanists where nirvana is identified with intense bliss or Makdsukka. * Witli them Mirt’OTia is the ulti¬ mate reality,—^it is the Dharnia~kdya ,—and that is the Lord Buddha-that is the Vajra-dhara or the \4ira- sattva;—it is the .Vahasukfm —it is the Botlhicitta/

‘ TrithSika, Verse 80 -

• Frrfe, SatTWecetd-gdinfl.farifrA, quoted in the Siibhd*itn-

natiignthn^

• T'litr, quoii^ i,,

p+

• Ch. s™ Cm™. „„

nttam/taaffn tmjaijts-nif7hiisiikftatii etc. MS ]B N Sapii No. S3, p. 20(BJ. ^

THEOLOGICAL POSmOK OF THE TlNTRlC BUDDHISTS 149

“it is the Sahajai—it is pure consciousness, and the nature of pure consciousness is bibs, ^

In the Buddhist Tantras the element of niraanfi (nirDdna-dhdtu) is described as incessant bliss (i^otata- sukhamaya)j * * it is the abode of both enjoyment as well as liberation;^ it is called Makasukha. where there is no change or decrease, ■* It is the seed of all substance, it is the ultimate stage of those who have attained perfection ; it is the highest place of the Buddhas and is called the Sukhdvati (the abode of bliss)/

But this bliss (sukka) has often been repudiated as a mere t bough t-constr net ion (uifrafpa), whereas nirvana is the annihOation of all sorbs of thought- construction ; it is therefore said hy Nagarjuna-pada in his ApTQtisthdna-prakdsa that as long as there flows in

• Ciiturabhamna —MS. (R.A.S,B.* No. -ISOI) p. T(B).

■ Ch, IV,

^ t\{n^^^t-hhijnm pitrO^h

Guhiftt-siddhip p, ld(A).

• h&aya-v^ayn-vinirmukttith h^J-mahds7ikh^^mfnit<\m \

tbid,t MS. p* Ifi(A)*

• tad^hljath ert pffmin pndam]

bnddhiknuijh) lat pornw ||

Ibid^, MS* p*

In this Gahya-siddhi the traiaacendrnlDl arrest {divya-mm^dhi} is pJso ctiaracteri^cd as of the nntiire of j^cot bliss* fC/* divyn- ^nm&dhmtlslhAyn maha^ukka-i,uhhatntnktttu —MS* p* 5A, tlA), In fiiiDther quotation in the it has be^in eoid that

those wise men ^^■'ho have htm abla to realise the nature of the IT hole anivfrsc us Sahaja — as free from all iinaginalion^as the supportless (fTira^iTm6uir»)p have attmned I he slate of the Sugata whieh is ot the nature of pore and intense blifla. In the the Vajraj^arift yo|rft has tHcren described as the nuion of T^ajni and Upflya anti as of the nature of immutable bLUs« (Pi 158, Sistii^s E^tion), Id this ocean of existencep ruflled by huge waves and with poisonous wiiter and lull ol ferocious animab of passions etc., bliss is the only shore, (Hudhmm-mAiAf Vol, II, p. +4^), In the AVji/^-saffi°raha the path of coolerle Buddhism has been characterised as the ^vehicle of great bliss^ (MS* p* TSA)* In

the ,Sdi-fpifddfcn-fdnrm it ha^ been said tlial there is no grealer vice than detachment (uirii^in) and no greater merit than blisjH So the eft fa should al ways be kept absorbed in the changeless bliss*— riVogrif ina) jmmm p^parh wa puni/aui mkhatah param f aiQ kmra-^ sakhe citiam nive^yanUt fforfii / Qi,mted m the Comm, of the

Doh^hosii o( Kinhupadn, Doha No. 10»

tSNTRIC BUDDHISM

150

the mind any sort of thought-eon struct Jon (utTcoIpo) every thing is to be left off; for, even that which is of the nature of bliss and makes the lieart happy is itself a mere mentation; even the feeling of detachment,— nay, both of attachment and detachment, should be cast off; for, all these are main causes of existence there is airuanu nowhere except in tiie transcendental existence of the self,'

In a Doha Saralia-patla warns not to confuse the truth that is only to be realised within ; both positive and negative thought-constructions bind the man. In the final stage the individual consciousness or egohood should merge in the all-pervading universal conscious¬ ness like water merging into water, * In the comment¬ ary it has been said that to identify the final state with

• ■ * ■ . ■ ■

Svkha is a mere confusion. No positive conception of

this final stage nor any negative conception or any construction of this type can conduce to perfect enlightenment. There is no difference between a golden chain and an iron chain, for both will bind a man and therefore both are to be avoided. “ It has further been said that the wise never enter into any thought-construction about the ultimate state; for there is no fundamental difference between a thought- construction that is bad and the one which is good ; for both will bind a man in the world of suffering ; no

• kaSfid vikolpal^ prafrftnVfl(j mniidji ga aaruah

yo*tava*ittntda-tiipah hfftayu-fuJtka‘ltarah so*pi garh^atpa-

yad uA vdirdiftfR-hi’tas tad npi ribha^an to el bAavorya’

grah^itih

JiiiT'flfifiJW na^nyad ftsfr frvfirirf fljij vim^e mTvikalp^-tmn-

II

Quotii^d \u. the Comm, on the CuTjfa Song Ko* AI$o €f^ Cornni, oti the Doha No. 53 of Sfirnha-piLda*

^ masufnvitti tiifz fr dhandk^ \

bfindha ||

liitt muna vuimhn re nitmr foij jfrmfl /fj/fi jiihhi milante soi !|

Snrnha-pud^ti Doh^ No. 3^2.

^ See Comm, on Doha No, 32 ot Sfliaha-^ptido.

THEOLOGICAL POSITIO^f OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHISTS I5l

difference is produced in the burning capacity of fire through the change of fueJ ; if fire be made even with the logs of a sandal tree it will burn whenever touched.' But though here it has been strongly warned not to confuse nirvajia with sukka, yet in a general way nirvana in esoteric Buddhism has been cleseribed all along as Makdsukha and it is identified with Maka- SffA:7ia. The advocates of Mahamkha will justify their own position by describing Mabasukka as transcend¬ ing all kinds of thought-constructions, it is an ab¬ solutely pure emotion of bliss in wliich all the acti¬ vities of the mind are absolutely lost. ■

(C) The Cos^iological and Ontological Significance of Mahasukha

As Mahayina Buddhism often speaks of nirvana as the ultimate reality'—as the DItanna-kdya — so also the nature of this Afahasa/cha has variously been described in the Buddhist Taiitras as the ultimate reality transcending, or rather absorbing within it, both existence (h/iaua) and extinction (niruana). Mahasukha is something wfiich has neither tlic begin¬ ning nor any middles nor any end; it is neither existence nor anniiiilation; this transcendjental supreme bliss is neither the not-self nor the self. ' In the Mahdsukha-prakdsa {collected in the Advaya-

^ paramn-rthu-iikalpr'pt na'voilyeta ka hi bhedo vikalpasaa ffw&fte tri(i5IiVpt v& ||

n«*dkftm-bhedat bhi'do^sti vahm-dUhakatam prflfrj spTiydtnhno dnhottj evit ea»danmr jvdJito’py ostiu |J Quoted in tht Comm, on Dohii No.'ss.

^ ( 7 . “All Ihoughit-construction is destroyed in sat-stiftAa*'. —

■Si( fr AnSf J m ^ ra ^ A .

Again, — ^“Tliai supreme Itimsocndentai bliss is i-oid and jMjrfectly ptirc, wheie there is neither any vice nor any merit", sun put njraji- jana parama-mtiha^ihfi tahi putina no pdva []— Doha quoted in the Uevajm-tantru.

• si lia anta nn mnptii *fo ^au hAavo »«« 

ehuso pfirama mahGsuka rni( parti nati appS^a ]|

Quoted in the ffcra/ni-fanJra, MS. p. 61{A).

152

tanteic buddhism

iMfiftdsufchfl is dsscribed as the Lord Vajra-satlva of the nature of the unity of Prajna and Upaya; it is the norndual quintessence of all the entities.' It is further said that perfect wisdom is never possible without bliss; perfect wisdom itself is of the nature of bliss.* * .411 objects are Mah^ulcha by nature; but due to our ignorance they appear as poison to us. * It is said by Bhadra-pada that every thing proceeds from supreme bliss; tiic highly luminous Prajna, which enables a man to attain perfect Buddha- hood, also proceeds from this supieme hlis.s,* The body of knowledge, which is undisturbed and un¬ changing supreme bliss, itself takes the form of the whole universe. * In the Sampntika it has been said that perfectly pure knowdedge, wliicli in essence i.s the goddess herself (Prfl|na-goddess), is called the Vajra- sj^ttva—it is also called the supreme bliss ; it is self- originated—of the nature of Dharma-kaya and to it belongs Prajna, absorbed in the nature of Sithaja. * Tlie llevajra-tantra describes elaborately the nature of sitkka as the ultimate reality. It is t!ie Dharma-kayUf it is the Lord Buddha himself, Sukha is black, it is yellow, it is red, it is white, it is green, it is blue, it is the whole universe: it is PrajM, it is Upaya, it results from the ultimate union ; it is existence, it is non-

Adtwja-vnjfa-mmgruhn, p* 50 {G.O.S>),

^ tnikk^^bhaVi^ na todhih ijii pni^rha-mpfrji ]

/hiiipp p. SO*

^ tte^pi tvarupfitnk mahn^ukha-rupinnhl

kintti nvidtjit~va^t vkavut

Comm^ on thi? M^irmn-kalikit^tantra.

• Subh/mta-:itimgrnha*

• mrvn-kkmih prayAtif I

hfi-kfiUt-cakfn^ MS. {CanibndgK?* Add. No*

• icjrLitf-Jrii-f-Jti'firiipfriraHi I

Ufl 7 rn-*wj?fvii iti khijtltnih pnimh siikhfiifii 1|

opbftji-rCpiiwi I

Id^atira auAdjd sthita [[

Sampufj^i MS. p* 46 (B).

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TaNTBIC BUDDHISTS 153

existence—it is the Vajra-sattva. ’ But the question is, if everytliing be by nature nothin" but il/ahasu^ha, what is the necessity of any origination (utpada) at all? The reply is that sukha is not possible at all without the body, for without body none would even be able to speak of saukhya. The implication seems to be that sukha as the highest reality can only be realised through the medium of the body and hence is the necessity of the world of objects though every thing is by nature nothing but suk/ui. Sukha itself pervades the whole world as the pervader (n^dpaka) as well as the pervaded ivyapya); but as the smell of a flower cannot he perceived without the flower, so also sukha as the quintessence of all that is originated can never be realised without the world of originated objects.* In the Guhya-siddhi it is said that through the union of the void-element (k/ia-dhdfu) and the thunder (ua/ra)* the great element is produced in the form of bliss which yields parauia-wanda; after the cessation of paramd-nanda is produced oiramd-namfa * and the supreme bliss that follows in'ramd-nanda is of indescribable nature; it is bereft of all the senses (i.e., inaccessible to all the senses), imdisturhed non-dual and good ; it is all-pervading non-essential, it is perfect wisdom—^it is the ultimate state; it is divine, all-good, it is the ultimate stage of liberation to the Sddhakas ^ — - this is what is the pure transcendental non-substantial

^ iriiitltain pUtnfi viilrhan] liitiiiii |

sitfeliaifi xu&hani iiilam fulcharn Ifrlsnuiii cam-c(irnm j|

suthaTii prajM itdcho-poifah takkam kundunijaik falh^l sTibhom IihSrfl^ sMtfcn-iiftai’o re/TO-s-alli.'dfc suithnh Ainrtah | Hevaira-tantroy AfS. p. SS(B).

’ {Irha-IfhAuc gauthi/ani saulrhifam trafcUtm tia «aki;al«]

swfclieno vydpHam jagat ||

yath& gandiiam puspti-fchjleu tia gaini/BU|

lalM uIpnfitin^ijT-tib^aveiHi sanklif/am noii'o'pak&fiyflfc |[

Ibid., MS. p. SStA).

• jtka-dAaOt ifi sunyfitd, it is the Prajna—the Icmaic and vafra

is the Up&vu, the male. Vide Supra,

• PaniHid-nafida, VirajHi-itnndn, etc. will be explained later on.

O.P, 105—20

15i

tantbic buddhism

BodllieitU. ’ The bliss that is produced through some cause itseU destroys the cause of Sainsdra; supreme bliss is of the nature of self-produced knowledge with¬ out involving any mental construction.’ The nature of Mahasukha cannot be realised through the theories of the void ete. and all other false constructions; through the purifieation of Prajna and L-paya it is revealed that Makasukha is the one non-dual know¬ ledge.’ All the entities, static or dynamic, remain ultimately in a state of non-duality, — they arc by nature pure Xiom the beginning and clear like the calm sky above ; tlie epithet non-dual is also a mere name of this ultimate nature, this name also does not remain there, and tills non-duality, in wliich there is neither the knowablc nor the knower, is what is called the iV/ahasuArha * When Prajha and Upaya are combined together in oneness,—the non-dual knowledge is pro¬ duced which is Makasuhha. That Mahdsakiia of the

'■ liha-dkata-vajahsamyogot sanmjmridc ai trmha-bhafqiii | iirjA'hflm ut{mtliiaU yat iat fKirnmd'»attda~kiirakam || tat-h^ijdc ca uiruiiidj* lii cifamut tti 5ir) pflruM|

atM'nj£%fl^var«pu»i lif kim apy utpadyalc tu ya* || mirct-Tidrtya-vtntrnruA'tujn nirdeutiijcam paravtath isii'oritl iTt/a|Hifcarrt nUfivabhiivaaca (ad btfdhth pufujmtm padam |[ diVyaTh Ba»rtnfifa-i*/ifl£lra-AAy(iiii I'inuMW-Hle uyava^f/iilaftt | xudfiakdndiii iMtaih hy etat j|

• -I' * * * -t

IfodhtctKam nnuUamin || Guhtjasiddhi, p, 10(B).

® yad idotit a«iiiiijiji((s-jufrhani (ad^va niinitta-pdri-

hinani [

njaAdkttAham /cafpand-xilnyam || F|/utia-tifiai'iiT]i<^a(»-(attva-Mddhr, MS. (C.L.B. Nw.

1312) p. S6(A).

• iunyo-pii1amhha-vddt!ini tniitiyd-vudcnw t.'3hi'(a(i |

' kiiipand-jMfi^vaRiihena naiva 6iidJiyaNli ||

dvf/raipo-fralpAitd b&hyd pTUjno^pdya-visttddbitah \ iti(tkli-yog&-dviiya-jnavatu ekam eva [|

AciMtyd^V9ya-.kmtfta-padem^ MS. (CX.H. 13134)

p. 10D(A1.

• rarranstlirra-cdbi bhava advaycna vyavaglkitab \

svnbkavftut vmtddhdt fc »an(d-Adira-srr>it'rniaftrA ;| advuyam ndma-vtairfuii tu tae (Mi fiataadi «iu uidyatfj vtfdya-vedaka-nirtakMtn ndvayam tu ina/tdiukham j|

Ji»rd., MS. p. 100(A),

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHISTS 155

nature of non-dual knowledge transcends all colour, sound and taste, it is free from smell and toucli, it is of the nature of pure and supreme knowledge made up of the ultimate element behind the dhorwms (dftarmo- dhatw); it is bereft of all mentation, free from the knower and the known ; it is the naturally pure abode as ultimate non-duality. ' Through perfect knowledge the transcendental bliss of the Buddhas is infinite, it is all-pervading—spontaneous flow of intense bliss—it is the non-dual trutlu^

We have already seen that in Vajra-yana the ulti¬ mate reality is identified with the conception of a Lord Supreme (B/iai<oudn) as the Vajra-dhara or the Vajra- sattva or simply the Lord. Here in tiic conception of iVahosukha also we see that when Jl/aftdswkhft was identified with the ultimate reality it %vas conceived variously as the Lord Supreme. We sometimes firul goddess Varahi (the goddess supreme, the Sunyata or the Xairatma) deeply embracing the Lord Maha- sankhya,' sometimes we hear of the Lord Sn~maka- sukha as of the form of infinite bliss, ‘ sometimes again the lord is saluted as the Snman-mahastikka. The

fajtHtin drdi'nydrri !|

rupa-^dbdfhrml-itiam ^antJhn^fipnrM-di-voTjiiam \ jfjf/frfhcfNi jfpflnairP

2wn -i uhift ^tiflftyn-ijTHft uku^vamfQ |

advtipnrh pamm^rthikam jj Ibid., MS. p-

^ \?tjupfikarh sartiiJ^ynaiia-pTiiifthaiifitfift I

ifiJrt-Hcrftrtnrffl-TirfTrrtmii-tiiinffoiii iidvatjatk buddha-ftai-9uhhmn ][

Ibid.. MS, p. USfA).

^ C/. Ufirfjhp-fthiiiijjtii-tJidftfj-AfifptftiffiHi.

SMftdttrt-Tiid/d. VoL IT, p. 4&1-

• nr\nnta-'SU k fta-rflpatod^ irhmah^sukhn~sn7TijtiitatU \

Pmjfi&^phpn-viniicnyn-siddhi, p, 0,

• ^rdird^Z^ifiJrfh^-lJ-idAiiPir ndthitm natvA 'ki-man’-niahasukham \

Pitfica-kmma, MS, p. 15(A)*

Also: —

jaifiiti fiiAkhti-mjii rkuh frardpn-r/iftjfdft mdf}-dho | ^

yaatja ca nii^adafta-rnmnye vacfinu-dnifidto mnf^jnQfy j|

T' tfiikta-bhaiA-nulla Ut- fo t iva^iddhi, M S. (C-L. 13 . > No.

p. 85 <A).

156

TaNTSIC BtTDDHISM

secret of the ultimate truth is said to be explained by the Lord Mahasukha* as all the doctrines of Buddtiism are said to have been explained by Lord Buddha him¬ self. Sometimes it is said that Lord ^fi-mahd&itkka has created this world of differences from his non-dual nature,* He, as the Lord Candarosana of the nature of incessant bliss, remains in the lotus/ which is often called the abode of 5ufrftavatf/

(D) Mahasukha in Relation to the Esoteeic

Practice

The advocates of Vajra-yana and Sahaja-yana hold that the pleasure that is realised through the discharge of matter is much lower, in respect of degree as well as in quality, than the bliss that can be realised through the control of this matter, i.e., by checking its down¬ ward flow through subtle A'^ogic processes and by giving it an upward floAV so as to make it reach the lotus situated in the cerebrum region (ufaisa-framala, corresponding to the sahasrdra-padma of the Hindu Tantras) and to make it steady there: the bliss result¬ ing from the steadiness of the matter is the .■Ifaha- sukha. But in a popular way we often find semen-

pAd^na-^•C&}^cn& guhya-mddhir anutl^rttm i\

Guk^a-siddbL MS. (C.L.B,) No. 1312*^ p* 1(B).

IbuL, MS. p: H.

C/. flkq,—M-dftdrnia-oc/mie |

^iiddha-tnttvfi-khymh totM ficitha [|

/iiifl.p MS. p. 40.

Also,—hashpfiffn-parfitto-pufiL^itaa ]

rocttah padma-vaircna sarva-sattvd^’nkampay^ ]|

Also ,—vijahdra tafflh M-iiioti jfri-uiflhfiJHffchd-rajj-fflfiA [1 Guhya^tiddhu MS. p. 17.

“ elcd^oJj ruobhdo^na

advatja^kuta-hh^du^ah ||

MS. (CX.B.) p. im{A).

• Ifiim pudma yatha karyam dhairya^dhairyam (?) pm|fogafdh|

svayam canda-malmny^afy sIhUa hy aim sadn^ukhah ||

E ka da-mahH-rnfana-tc nira. MS. (R. .4. S .B.

OOao) pp. 5(A>5(B).

fbid., m. p. 0(A).

• €f, flho k^eira etc.

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TInTHIC BUDDHISTS 157

virile described as Mahasukka, and it is the Lord Buddha himself. Lord Buddha (Amitabha Buddha) dwells in the elysium of Sukhavati (tive abode of bliss). Here the female organ is described as the Snkkavatl where the lord Mahasukha dwells iri his own nature as supreme bliss. In the Hevafra-tantra we find that the Lord (Bhogavda) is explaining his own nature to the Bodhisattva Vajragarbha where he says,—‘T am exist¬ ence—I am not existence,—I am Buddha (perfectly enlightened one) as I have perfect knowledge about things: fools can never know anything of me, I dwell in the Siikhdvatt of the vagina of the good thunder- woman {sad-vajra-yosit) w'hiclii is of the form of the letter ' e' ‘ and which is the abode of the jewels of the Buddhas. I am the preacher, I am the religion— myself am the audience; I am the worshipped,—the sovereign of the world,—I am the world and every thing that belongs to the world. I am of the nature of the Sahaja-bliss,—I am Pa ra in a-n and a as well as FiVania-nando etc.; I am the faith, like a light in dark¬ ness. I possess the thirty-two marks (of greatness)—I am the lord with the eighty consonants; T dwell in the Sukhavati of the vagina of the female in the name of semen.”' It is further said,—'TiVithout him (i,e. semen) there is no bliss, and again without bliss lie cannot be. As he can never be related, there is no other source of

^ Cf. ehUrSkrti yitd divyam etc. Supni.

• bi^vo’Aflin tiiHVtt bwdiJho'Aiiifi vaafU'tPodftRniU |

mSm'na /Anonlt ye niUdhSh kaviidyo^pahatiii ca ye || (?)

tu f|

ujfdfcAyfifa' bam ftbam y»U«h|

aUdkyo’ ha 7 it japutah toifo’ hum /flufcifco^fcam ||

saftajS'itflrtd'ci^’abbato’bat'/i pflrBma-rfranffi'rftlfBW [ ffffbo ca pnifiyayaiii puJra pradtparat ||

pnabhwhf

yotrl-bbagf juifbni’altKaiw sHJfra-tiAriiiifl I'yairasdijlnb i' Heudim'laiilra, MS. pp. S0(A)-36{B).

These lines ooeur also in the MS. (R.A.S.B. No.

4B54) p, 47(A),

15R

'TlNTRIC BUDDHISM

realisitijC^ him excepting the divine esoteric practice,” ' It is therefore said that Buddha (in the form of semen) is neither existence nor non-existence; in spite of having a face and form—he is formless in the nature of supreme bliss.* *

(E) The THAXSFOHNtED Idea of Bodhicitta in Re¬ lation To The Esoteric Yogtc Practice,

The identification of MaftasifJchn with niTOona or the ultimate reality modified the Mahavana conception of Bodhicitta in Vajra-yana, particularlj' in the Sahaja- yana. The Mahay an a conception of the production of Bodhicitta (bodhi-citio-tpada) is transformed in Saliaja- yana into the production of a state of intense bliss through the sexo-yogjc practice ; and as after the pro¬ duction, the Bodhicitta rises upwards through ten stages (technically known as tl»e Bodhiiratfufl-hfiniwTs) so also Sahaja-yana practice involves the yogic process of breath-control and other psycho-physical practices through which the disturbed semen should be checked in the Manipura (situated near the navel) known generally as the Ytmiana-cakra, and then it must march upwards through the Dharma-caltra situated in the heart and the Sambkoga-caJiTa situated in tlie throat and then reach the Usnisa-kamala (i.e,, the lotus

’ tiinii tfnn pih bhrttffB no

sSpflisam afUMiftrtbflfrflt ilevaia-uogtttoh mJeham !i Ihid„ p. Snmpulikd. MS. p, 47(A).

C/. also the Cotnnn: — MikrS-hhdve tnfbnt'i'rfha-

samarthyS-bhlivdtf tlevnjra-pnfiiikii.

• bwWrf/ii« nn'hftfiifHfi itpat tibhava^rTipo'pi BfliVa *tih ]

VhM/fl-uijr]thji-^Arrt-nl»l fd ariipf ;niTiiii7?<i-s(iHJfhi/nI(ih 1]

Ibid., MS, p.

Cj, alsa the Comm:—no Iiftwim «ttTfl-rapii(i'nf/fatro

{ ?) no bhfli'o nrl'bbi^i'rth/ /fri'njTin-fiaflpfrfl,

In the Srl-knla-rftknt vtc find that ihe downward flow of semen should he eheefeed in the ^lanipura (the lotus in the navel) and then, by making U steady, bliss is to be realised; this steady hiiss, says the Killa-cfthra, nt onee gives Sahaja, whieh is the ultimate element of all the things (dhomro).

fosiiinf »i*pftndn-*ntikhi|oiii ftsfliinm ffio soAo/ftm dbamiirdhdtui' dadQtij

Hri-kaln-cdkrti-tnntra. MS. p. iaa(A),

THEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHISTS 159

in the head) where it will produce the Mahasukha of the nature of Nirvana^ The word llodlHcitta sometimes in \ ajra-yana and almost aivvays in *iaha|a-yana is synonymous with the word semen.

This Bodiiicitta of the nature of the Mahasukha, produced Ihrougli yog^ic practice, is the ultimate sub¬ stance of the nature of the five elements (uw,, earth, water, fire, air and ether). In a Doha of Kanhu-pada this Bodiiicitta has been spoken of as tlie seed of the five elements. ‘ In Llie Hevajra-lantra as well as in the Sampiitikd (tJie same lines occurring in both the texts) we find an explanation of how in the process of being produced tlirough yogic practice the Bodiiicitta acquires the nature of the live elements, and we have already seen that the jiresiding deities over these five elements (confused with the five sA^and/ias) are, Vairocana, Aksobhya, Amitablia, Anioghasiddhi and Ratnasam- bhava, and these live Tathagatas or the Dhyanf Buddhas again represent tiie five KuJas or the families of the esoteric Buddhists. Thus Mahasukha in the form of the Bodhieitta is the one ultimate reality coni’ prising within it the live families of vaji'a-yaiia. *

^ panca ttiakdbhua via lai fain \

pttkubi Qva tea gainftha-vaha gmufn mftjnia |:

HohA No, T,

• /EHMifurt'Au liaiica fkriilra-fi/iiifa’Si'flrifpfl/ult |

eka em iHahH-naadam paiicnturii ijSti bheiianai}} ,1 boltt-kakk»h~pogetia xpar^t Mihtiiija-vaiianfi\ kathtnjjaxyii motuE-dhfiTmitteat inoho vatrocatio inatuh ||

ffriivuiH ijasimU ilmvam ap~dkatiikiith toatoifil dve§ah iiiixobktja-jmifnkah j| fftayor gharsaiin^saiiiyagat icjah imm^jayate fadA\

TOiJttA amitii-VB}fttiisijat mgas tfjtsui sainbhavct !| knkkataki’xv ync cittatii tat xa»timHa-Tapakatn\ iTya*nioshfiiiddhih spat amoghitt Vayu-nambkavah || n/Irjidni m^'nm raktiiih raktir |

|auft/)urn raktath bhawt cinorn rofntrin rnitn-^uA'Hindia SampafrA'uJ

AAajfam pisiiriorri j

ekam tud mahac eiiiiitn /inFica-rtl/Jt'rjiJ |

panca«i( Anftrxit' r|>antia ijefrfl taha/trtiita}} ||

tojifriAtf maAdiJKAfiaji parama-ibieatafy |

pd^cafAni ySti bhedcaa rdgddi paiira cetaid || tlvtajm-tantra, MS' pp.

SumpujiAA, MS. pp. 47(BH8(A),

CHAPTER V

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

Iii the previous chapter we have made an attempt at studying, on textual basis, the theological ideas that are associated with the yogic practice of the Tantric Buddhists. If we sum up the above we shall see that the fundamental standpoint of the Tantric Buddliists is more or less the same as that of the Hindu Tantrlkas. We hear from the time of the Aranyakas and the Upani^ds that bliss is the quintessence of Brahman, the ultimate Being. From bliss proceeds the universe, it is sustained in bliss and it again dissolves in bliss.

According to alt schools of Tantra, bliss is the nature of the Absolute, which is conceived both positive¬ ly and negatively. The Absolute is realised by us when we realise our self as perfect bliss. The ultimate aim is, therefore, to attain a state of perfect bliss. In all our ordinary experiences of pleasure we have but a momentary glimpse of the same bliss which constitutes the ultimate natui'e of our sell. But these experiences of pleasure, because of their extremely limited and defiled nature, bind us to a lower plane of life, instead of contributing to our advancement towards self- realisation. Herein comes the question of Sadhana which may transform even gross sense-pleasure into the boundless serenity of perfect bliss.

In our ordinary life we have the experience of the most intense pleasure in our sex-experienees. Wide is the difference between ttiis sex-pleasure aiTd perfect bliss which is the ultimate nature of the self and the not-self; yet the distinction can be wholly removed by a total change of perspective and process. The sexo- yogic Sadhana of the Tantrikas is a Sad h a nil for trans^ forming this sex-pleasure into a realisation of infinite bliss in which the sell and the world around are lost in

TH£ ELEMli.MT OF ESOTERIC YOGA 161

of the self

^ ‘“i* all-pcn-ading oneness of bliss is

jvliat IS coaeeiveii as Nirvana by the Tantric Buddhists.

Let us ROW what practical processes of Yoga were IhLTnd ^ Buddhists for the realisation of

(i) Bodu—The Medium for RealUing the Truth (A) The Theory Of The Plexus

practical side, which ob\’iously is the funda-

is thp r ^ Tantras, the most important thing

IS the stress laid on the body as the medium in and

realised. The Buddhist ntiifcas, in umsou with the other schools of Tantra lold that the body is the abode of all truth; it is the qntome of the universe or, in other worils, it is the microcosm and as such embodies the truth of tlic whok universe Attempt has actually been maSe in nmny Tantras to identify the universe completely with the k locating the seas, rivers, mountains,

to parts of tile body. Wiiethcr we are ready

to accept them in toto or not, the fact remains that the

lueKloT^ ^ Tantras, as a science of reUgious methodology, consists in its analysis of the bod/and

the ihscovery of all in the nervous system and

lu the plexus and thus making the body, with the whole

iyantra) for realising the ultimate truth.

Let us now see how the Tantric Buddhists dis- ' diacrent tattva, within this corporal struc- a • . ““If will naturdly lead us to the

aurjh“®’'n ‘lotuses’

nd this wdl also help us a good deal in understandin»

the yogic process of the Tantric Buddliists.

This analy^s of the physical system starts witli the spinal cord, widely known as the Meritdu^da, which is tafcen to be one bone from the bottom of the back up

O.P. 105—21

162

taktric buddhism

to the medulla oblougata. The name ^Jerudaiida is significant, and the analogy Involved in the name is clearly brought out in tlie wliere it ha'^

been said that in tlie form of the skeleton-bone the great mountain Sumeru remains in the body. ^ This spinal colunm, compared to the mountain, is said to be very profound. It is the cave of the highest truth where all the world vanishes away. ’ The j^ext thing is the theory of the cafcras (plexus) or the lotuses as they are also called. According to the BuddliisL Tantrikas there are four such plexuses. The first is the lumbar plexus situated in the navel region. The next is the cardiac plexus in the heart. Next is the lar\tigeal and pharyngeal plexus at the junction of the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata ; the last and tlie most im* portant is the cerebral plexus called the uf^iiso-kamala (the lotus of the head). In the Hindu Tantras, how¬ ever, there are six cakras or plexuses in addition to the jSahasrdra or the highest cerebral plexus, *

^ pada-tak bhuiravo dhamira-krti^]

kati-d^ie fii tn-Aorio-iff/Jifiraflnn ||

hi fWdaft Rthiiah ]

CHfi^rfisra mtimnlaiah ||

hi mumnir ghimt

• guhha jagu |

of KiLohu-pad^p Doha No« 14.

The &t&t is the MidAdkani-cakra, or the saci<H30C!cygea] plEjtus, situated between the penis and the anus and facing down^ it has four petals of rctl colour with the four letters “v, s, s and Next is the Si'adAistfidiin-cnfcrci or Uie sacral pkxus^ near the root of the penis with ^ix petals of the colour of vermilion with the letters bh^ m, y, r and V\ Next is the A/anipiifO-c/i^drii or the lumbar pltxiis in the region of the navel; there are ten petals of the colour of the cloud, with the letters t, th, dh, Hj

p and ph" ms them. After that is the cardiae pbxm or the .ipiflhafij- cafcni in the hcaitp with twelve petuls of the colour of the flower (red) with the letters **k, kh^ gp gh, h, c, ch, ], jh, h, t and th*’ on them. Next is the laryngeal and pharyrigQuI plexus (rwtiddha-cofrra) at the junetion of the spinal cord and the medulla oblopgata with sixteen potal*i fif_ smoky colour with the sixteen v'owels on them. Above it Is Aplrf-cnkira between the eye-brows; it is the seat of the mind or the centre of all sense knowledge and dream knowledge* There arc only two petals of white colour with the letters and on them^ Above all is the Sahasr^ra- cn^ru In the highest cerebral regions* It is of thousand petals of

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

163

Of the six Cakras described in the Hindu Tantras only three are found in the Buddlust Tantras, viz., the plexuses in the navel region, in the heart and in the region just below the neck (i,e., Manipura-cakra, Andhata and Fii'uddha-cafrraJ. The fiahasrdra of the Hindu Tantras corresponds to the l/.satsa-fcomaia of the Buddhists. But the most remarkable thing in the Buddhists’ conception of the Cakras is the location of the three kdyas^ viz., Nirmdna~hdya, Samhhaga-kdya and D/iarTna-)f<iya in these Cokras. Thus the lowest Cakra in the navel region represents the lowest kaya, i.e., Nirmaiia-kdya ; the Cakra in the heart is identified with the Dharma-kdya and the Cakra just below the neck is said to be the Sa7iibhoga-Mya. In the natural order the Cakra in the heart being next to the Cakra of Ninndna-kdya ouglit to have been the Sambhogn-kat^a and the Cakra below the neck ought to have been the Dhamw-kdya; but we do not know why the order has slightly been changed. The Sahaja-kdya h located in the Vsnlsa-kamala or the Sahasrara of the Hindus, It is also called the Mahdsukha-cakra or the Mahdmtkha- kamala being the seat of great bliss.

In this theory of the Cakras there are some anoma¬ lies os regards the number, location and the other de¬ scriptions. Let us therefore discuss some of the descrip¬ tions of the Cakras found in the different texts. In the Heruka-tantra (thirty-first patafa) we find that in the Mahdsukka-cakra, situated in tlie head, there is a lotus of four petals representing the four noble truths or tlie four categories (cafu.?kotO; it is pure, of the nature of a circle of enlightenment (hodki-mandafa) as the re-

Tffhite colcitir and is Facing doirnwaids. On the petals the fifty I titters ineltiding thft voweb and the consonants are placed in twenty rounds. In the c<ikras (excluding the Sahmram) there six presiding f^oddes^cs, Rflttnl, Ldfciftlp JCdiifiJ, SaKfinl

and respectively. In the there is the union of

the iSiva and ^ukti. I"idft Saf-cuftra.iiirupa^a of Purniinanda (with the conimciitnries of Kalicara^ja, iSnnkarQ and VisvaniithQ), edited by Art her Avalon. (Tan trie Text. Vol. \l), also» — Sivo^

Ch. V.

164

tSstric buddhism

ceptaele (adhara) and the seed (blja} of all; outside is a lotus of thirty-two petals, and inside it is the letter “ha^’ in the downward way which is of the nature of the Bodhicitta and the fifteen digits of the moon. In¬ side is the Yogini of sixteen kalas or digits of the moon, carrying intense bliss with tier* * By the tivo sides are falana and rasana of the nature of d/i and fcdli; and the supreme goddess herself is of the nature of Sahaja-bliss and non-duality. ’ The description seems to be rather significant. Tiie sixteen kalm of the Bodhicitta, doubled in day and night seem to be represented l>y the thirty- two petals of the lotus in the head ; and friland and ra- sand by the two sides of the ParameHmn (referring to jiundhStiA'a) of the nature of dli and kah are but the two nerves (corresponding to the Ida and Pingnld of the Hindu texts) by the two sides of ^uod7(-ttfiA*Q, who is of the nature of Sahaja-bliss and non-duality. Next in the neck is the Sambkoga-cakra with sixteen petals of red colour, within it is the syllable burn above it nectar flows down incessantly through a tunnel. “ In the heart is the Dharma-cakra with eight petals; it is a vi&va-padma which is the double lotus, one facing upwards and the other facing downwards ,* within it is the syllable “ hmii ” downwards; a little above there is a white lotus, representing the universe {brahmanda-sadr^a-kdram) ; within that is pure con¬ sciousness (uf/nanam) which is ever manifest, all-per¬ vading ; it is the receptacle of all, and the source of all

^ Hrasi mah&m'hhti-cakft cotur-ddtila-padmaiii iuddham mada~ jitAilTie rGpn lira f/ tl/a-

b^tvtarn/ dvH-tTimiad-data-padTrtfnh f Aa-^n}*

£fAt>-?i)uAAaA bhavatif badhicitta-tmakajh ce*ndii-ltota-paifC(t-daSS- tmahamf mahdfuAAafri tahen nityam yoginl aodaS fco/5|| fafana- TUMna dtrat/oh pdrft'r JoAnjd'nnntla'avabAavnf! cb

parameivan ||

ncTtika-tanm, MS. (R.A.S.B, No. 11279) pp. T8(B)-

74(A).

• C/. jran(A« sdTTibAojta-eflhran fodnio-^jara-roAfafegn)/ Ja«. madhyft hvih-karitm/tasyo’rddhve ghtij}(ikd-ntndhra~margi;^a amrlOffi trnvati nmtitaram f

/TmiAfl-tanfra, MS. p. 7+(A).

the element op esoteric yoga 165

self-produced knowledge (suaycinbfeti-jndMa-dharani), it is the great Lord (parameit’ara).* * In the navel region is a lotus of sixty-four petals of blue colour; within that is the syllable “ atii ” like a dawJing pearl. Slightly below is the frando which is the receptacle of all the nerves numbering seventy-two thousand in all. From this fcanda rise the nerye laland of the nature of Prajha and rasand of the nature of TJpaya; and ill the middle is the Godiless in the form of tlie tmiversc, represented by the syllable *' am ”, she is of the nature of the four ‘bodies' and grants all perfection and supreme bliss.*

.Vecording to the 5!cA*oddcsa-tifrd, tlie L’sniso-paduio possesses four petals, the lotus in the forehead posses¬ ses sixteen petals, the lotus in the heart possesses thirly-two petals and the lotus in the navel region possesses sixty-four petals. *

In the Srt-satnpula we find that the four Cakras are associated with the four Mudras, visa., Kanna- mwdra, Dharma-mitdra, Maha-miidrii and Samaya- mudrdt which are again associated with the goddesses Locandj MamaJei, Pdi^daTa and Tara respectively who again in their turn are the presiding goddesses over the elements (confused wnth the atkandhas, as we have already seen) of earth, water, fire and air; these arc again represented by the syllables ** e, uaih, ma and ” {Cf, cvain mapa ^rutani etc.). Tims the Nirniana- cafrra in the navel region stands for the element of earth represented by the syllable "e” and presided over by tive goddess hocar\dt wlio is associated with the Kanno-wmdra. In this way the elements with their syllabic symbols and presiding deities and the associ¬ ated Madras are located in the other three Cafcros, *

^ MS. p> 74(A).

^ tbid., pp, 74(A)-74(B>,

’ G.O.S. p. 27*

• pffhtiji jn€^^ kanm-mudr& tii h^and\

maha-krpa ir}ah0-p^y^ viiw-nij5^ ]f

166

TiSTRIC BUDDHISM

It may be noted in this connection that according to

the Hindu Tantras also we find that the Cakras or the

Padmas are associated with different goddesses, viz.,

Do/t’ml, Ralcint, Lakinlf Kdkim, iSaklnit and Hakinl,

and We also find that the MuladhuTa^’Calcvo. represents

earth, Svadhisthana water, Manipura fire, .dndhafa air

and Visuddha ether. ‘ ^Again goddess Locana in the

Nirrnai^a-cakra represents universal compassion

(kartind), Mamaki in the Sambhogd-cakra represents

universal brotherhood (rnaitn) and concentration

(pranidki)^ Pmidara represents self-contentment

(mudita) and Tara represents absolute indifference

(apefesd). ^ These descriptions of the Cakras are also

confirmed by tJie Hevaira-tantra,^ and the HeunjVa-

lantra reminds iis in this connection that as tlie Cakras

are four in nuniher, all the tattvas are four. Thus four

are the moments/ viz., vkitra, vipdka, vimarda and

-^ _ - — - — — - —- _ _ _

sfkiUl '^iriniin^‘^fikrc udi ||

V'iiiM-idWJrij fif fiifmh jneyciih dhtiTirta-uivdTa fri Tiifiifri pranidhi-rfipu fu devi va}Ta-innkhe wlhitd 11 dhantm-Cfikrc hi hfdayr nsla-data-iitbujc ||

7na-kaTnm v^hwir uddiRfo rnnha-mudr^ iu p^n^ara] intid jfiia i?l pudma- frfif6Ad vn )| sthitfi mmbho^ia^ciikrt tii katqhe dvif-asU^dald-mhufe 1[ yd-karo utipu-rupfr^tu )

tnfiha-^itmmja-mudra vai devJ kurmn^.iM rmtkhijd ]| upfkm jM}W-fioj:^Ena ffird mntfdra-idriHil mahds^fJthii-^Qkrc tu dvu~trffhStid-d{^ta-pnnknj:e |[

&n-sa7npnfikd, MS. p. 10(A).

' pfincd-^jjy^ gmdhQ-Tfipa^TOiia-spQf^a-

mhda-hkmrnikf hTdayahje toymrja catvAra mpa-ram-xpar^a-

i*fwda~h^k\fiitmhi f kitnthdbje trmjo Tnisa-^paH^-iabd^^

mkffiydb / laid fa h indm Id eft a u n dn ^par^a-hbda-JakRanau / yy^lb/c AUrtyajfy^ ifabdii-mdtr^im eko ^umthf Sck(}ddc4a^nkil fG.O.S*) p* ^Sl.

M"frfc od, by A- Aa^bIoii*

t/» iWs^r^AuHfukdahf^yf quoted in. the eofninentary of the verse Ao. 8 or tJie Sa(cakm-vivrii of Visvatiatba, ed. by A. .4valoii.

• See f.n, 4 of the previous page.

^ fvfrSrriifl locfiim devi vo>i-Adrrrm 7na7fiiikf imfta\

4 mu-Hreria pandarn ca yu-kmem fa lonml ||

A'u™ doi If/i rdhdka rtnamadrri- wi ahum udm-mma pAmud rn A f n ir- rii5dd-<fir hre pod mam ed i ^ fy-^QJsti-do m / dha rtm-cakrc a^ta~da lavi} ^amhhnga-cahre ^{>d{da-dahm) ^aahrmikht dvatridixaddulom \

• For the interpretation of the ^momcnt&* see Infra.

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTEftlC VOGA lti7

vilaksana; four are the ahgas (stages in the methods of the SadhaHa)t viz., sevd^ iipa-sevd, sadhana aud tnahd-sddhana, four are the noble truths (ar|/a-safj/a), u!z., sorrow, its cause, its suppression aud tfie way of suppressing it; four are Hie iaiivaB, the tattua of the seif {utmu-tuliva)j the taiiva of the ^lantras (man£ra-ta£toa), the tattva of the gods {devata-tattva) and the tattva of knowledge (jiidna-tofiefl) ; four are the dnandas (states of bliss), viz,, manda, ptiramd- nanda, virama-nanda, aud mhajd-nanda; four arc the Nikdyas, viz., Sthavim-vada, Sarvdsti-vdda, Sariwidi- vdda and Makasdiighika; sixteen (which is a multiple of four) are the Sankrdntis, ^ sixty-'four (muitipie of four) are the dandas, thirty-two nerves, four praharas and thus ail are lour (or niultiples of four).' About the niLuiber of the petals of these Cakras or lotuses tlie Hevajra-tanira holds the sauie view. As in the Hindu-tantras, here also there is tlie scheme of arranging the letters on the petals of the lotuses." But in some texts the iViVutona-calfra, instead of being located in the navel region, is located in the region near about the seX’Organ. Thus it is said in the Heua/ra-tawtro (the verses being found also in the Samputikd) that four are the kdyas, viz,, Dkarma, Sambkoga, Nirtndria and Mahdmkha, of which the first three are situated near the sex-organ, the lieart and the neck respeetiveiy. }^irmdna-kdya is the region whence all the animate and the inanimate originate aiul there¬ fore it is located near tlie sex-organ. The D/tanna- cakra is of the nature of the consciousness of all the dhartnas and is located in the heart. Sambkoga means enjoyment of the six rasas; the Sambhoga-^kdya is of the nature of all-existence (as pure deliglit) and is situated near the neck ; the Mahdsukha-kdya is in the

‘ Set Infra,

’ Uevajra-latitra, MS. pp.

' Vtdfe Hevafra'pafijika or Voga-ratnamula,

MS. (Cambridge Add. No. ItiUD) p. 8(B).

163

TANTKIC BUDDHISM

head.' Then it has been said that Sihavarl is in the Nirmana-cakra wherefiom all the static (sthauarn) originate. AVhat is exactly meant by this jSfhdrari we are not sure ; but it seems from the context that it may refer to the old St/tavira-vada or Tkera-vdda (the school of the elders). The Sarunsii-ndda or the Realistic School which originated from a scrutiny into the nature of the dharmas (things) is said to be in the Dharma-cakra ; Sajimidi-vada is in the neck, whence are all our perceptions (semuerfana); is in

the Sukha-cakra, and Mciftasttkha is in the head. ^ The Samvfdi-vdda generally refers to the school of vdda, but in the comnientary of the Hevafra-tantra Samvidi is explained as referring to those who realise high emotions } ^^a^tdsukha being the ultimate unity of all the dkarmas, Mahasiikka-cakra is the Mahdsdnghf. ^ Again it is explained that the body (kn^a) is called the A'lkdr^fl which is explained in the commentary as the assemblage of the Bhiksiis (Bkiksti-sangha), and the

^ Fu fcatfii/un']

tri-kSyasifa panca-jn^nciiii enkra/if mah^tukkatii [|

dhamid-kuinb/iQga-nirnuiiitiKj fdf/iaiVR Crt[

lii fnii/db k/iifati vyavastfiituk |{ oirffindfn fii aafU'onanL i/atro^liMtilik prajuit/ah^l tatra nirmayn-kaynh tiirmanam Ktharararh ifatati vipiidyate nirnii/Btc anena nirtniinikam matojn (not found in the

fii Id

wimbfto^tiih bhufl/onarn proktar/ieannam vni rasa-rilphtSm j van’a-ilharmt^u driihatvitt sorvain aBthfvarupafcah fnot found in the fffiJci/nj-fcrnffrt)

jflirtiAoflfl-fBfrrain cn inah/)-itid‘ham mruni rlhitam ||

//evajra-tantrn, MS. p. 501 A}; SdwipHfifrn, MS. p, 46(B). For tilt loctitioD of the yU'rntilria-cfikra in the re^rion of the sex-or^an ■ce also ;!rr-i’affi'‘Co^fm-f<infr£i, MS, Ciimbridge, Add. 1361) p. 2t(A).

• stAaroif ntriNdito-cairrc tri Nimtilnndr stborurnm i/atdh|

dkanita-^akrc ca dfi{?min-i «do.siini»<fh/<aro^ |i sami.tidr wroliborn-cofrre ra kanffie tamvedanam yatafy ] tnata^Otfighi *ukha~cakK eci niatifdfrr dtftitoipi ||

neva/rti^tantfa. MS, p, 50(B) ^ .Saip<piJti*«, MS, p. 40(B).

• tHuhdltvot survo-dftarmafianuffliiij^bntrfit >rKibuau|^/ia.eajtnini

’aa/iStS/iip/ij/ nto evani flfttt/ (tnfl«td)A:e «j>a«i upari tthitam/

tlevajrB-paAjika, MS, (Cambridge Add. No. 16&0)

P. 5»(A).

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTEEIC YOGA

169

udara (literally the belly, but explained in the com¬ mentary as the womb of the mother, mdtuh kuksik) is called the monastery (uthdra). ‘ •

(B) The Ner\tb System

After the discussion on the Cakras the next import¬ ant thing is the analysis of the nerves. In general the nert'es are said to be seventy-two thousand in niunber (excluding the smaller nerves, i.e., the upa-nadiSt which are innumerable). The Hindu Tantras and the Yogo-panisads in general agree with the Buddhist Tantras as to the total number of the nerves (though controversies arc also found). Of these, again, thirty- two are said to be more important,' and of these thirty- two* again* three are the most important,—these are Lalatia, Rasand and AnadhiltT corresponding to Ida, Fihgald and of the Hindu system. Lalana

is the neiwe in the left side and Rasana in the right side. There are pairs of names for them, of whicli some of the more important are :—Afi and Kali, e and rani, Ganga and Faniiind, fVintira and Svrtja, Dhamanu and (['ainana, Grdhya and 6Vo/iolfa, Prajnd and Vpdya, eic.^ About the position of these nerves we find in the Hindu Tantras that inside the passage of the spinal cord (according to some outside tlie spinal

' uJunrin vtMmm uc||al«|

IIcvafra^tantTa, >15. p. S0(B); Samputi^ra, MS. p. 40(6).

• For s list of these lliirty-two priiieip&l nerves, see ^rf-

9ampvtika, p. 8(B).

’ II aU tfae^nuizies given to these two nerves in the left and the right are dassilied into two groups, the two groups will stand thus:—

i (right)— Tasaua, pingala, siitya^ ram, ugni, praFin, eamaFia, Adlf, bindit, iipa^a, i/aiuunu, rnkta, paUta, tUksma, retas, dhamia, sihira, para, djjav, bh^da, citta, ridifO, rajas^ blwva, pitruM,

Hiruiantn-^dj/n and gm/tyu.

ii Viima (left)—lulund, idn, (‘ciiulnj, suitiri, sonin, apaau, dhnfuunn, dU, nMu, prajM, ganga, iukra, baU, sfhuia, rfl/os, fldluimia, nstjiim, iipara, prlAivi, nhAeda, aerftn, cLvfd^d, tnmns, nhAdua, prakHt, iakti, wmbhoga-kdya and gfnhaka.

Firfe SUtdies in the Tunfraa—by Dr. P. C. Bagchi, p. GO,

O.P. 105—23

170

tXnthic buddhism

cord) Qows the nerve Sufurnna, wbtch in reality is made up of three nerves^ viz,, citrinl of tlie nature of Saifua-gnna (mtelligence stuff), vajra of the nature of Rajas (energy), and 5ttswm»<l of the nature of Tamas (inertia). AU the nerves start from a seat called the Kanda which is situated about one inch abov^e the anus and one inch below the penis. The 5MS(i;nna seems to be a sort of duct inside the spinal cord and encases within it the nerve vajra, which again encases within it the citriiii, which again‘has an aperture called the Brahma-randhra running to the Sahasrdra. The Ida and the Pingala are outside the spinal cord and proceed fi'ora the left and the right sides respectively toivards the nasal region in a symmetrical course encircling all the Cakras, According to other views, the Ida and the Fingala proceed from the right and left testicles res¬ pectively and pass on to the left and right of the Susumnd in the bent form of a bow. The Ida Is also called the moon, of while colour, and the Sakti ; the phigald the sun, of red colour and the purusa ; Susumaa is of the nature and of the colour of hre. The tliree are again said to be the rivers, Faniund, Sarasvati and Gahgd respectively and the three meet at a point at the root of the penis, which is regarded as the fWuetd ut the juncture of the three rivers. Through these Ida and Pmgald blow the vita) winds prana and apdrta.

In the Budtlhisl Tantras we find that the nerve Laland or the Alt starts from the neck and enters the navel region from the left side, and from the navel again starts the Itasand or the Kali and duel's the neck from the right. Witliin tliese two and passing through the lotus in the heart (hrt-saroruhrt-uiodhi/a- go) is the Auadhuti, through ivliich flows the Bodhi- citta, and this Avadhulikd gives the Sahaja-bliss, and it itself is often described as the Sahnjn-bliss. The most important tiling is that tlie nerves in the left and the right have been identified with Sunyata and Kariuja

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA 171

or Prajna and Upaya, the two cardinal principles of Mahay ana Buddhism j and the Avad/iwR, as their commingling, is the Bodhieitta or the goddess Nairat- ma or the Sahaja’damsel. ‘ We have discussed at length the question how these nen'es halana and iZasana are identified or associated with Sunyata and Karun^ Prajna and Upaya, dh and Kah', etc. In the EHfaffa-uira-coHda-niflhd-rosfliia-fawtra wc find that the Lady ^tlic female counter-part of Candarosana) asks the Lord (Candarosana) how the bliss produced through Prajna and Upaya can be enjoyed in the body. In reply the Lord says that there is tlie nerve in the left, named Lai on a which is of the nature of Prajna and in the right is the nerve Eosana of the nature of Upaya.* Through tlie commingling of these two nerves in the middle nerve the bliss of Prajno-paya is to be realised. We should also notice that these three nerves Lalana, Rasana and ,4uadfiwfi have also been identified with the three Kaj/as, Sambboga,

Nirmana and Dkarma. Again, we have seen that the Lalana is said to carry the seed and fiasawo the ovum and Aundfiiitt to carry Bodhieitta (whicii is a mixture of the seed and the ovum). Again Prajna and Upaya mean subjectivity and objectivity or the graft^^^lra and the grdhya, and so these two nerves are also called grahya-grdhaka,* About the names Gangd and Yamuiic we may also compare the EUndu Tantras where Ida is said to be the river Yumna, Pmgaht the

' HiPuftc-faniro, MS. (B.A.S.B,, No. 11279> p. 8{A>, pp. 1S{B)-

iStA).

Cft Viiira-vSr&hi-knUm'riiahii-tftntrai MS. (R.A.S.B., No* 11385lt

p. 2e{B).

• projwo-sVabhihfrFHi pmfrTrtitSl

niMrifl co’popn-ruprfld cfrtJfsinr soinox'ajthitA ]|

J5fc'aWa-uTra-r(m(fa-inoJin*roj!finii*frtnlrn,MS, (B.A.S.B., No. OflS&y

p. 15(A).

Cf- Also,—/IfrrilajEioma-fmtfra, q’uoted in the SOfdif* tn the Tanfro* of Dr. P. tl. Bogchi, p. 39.

• ganga:ynmu^e*ti sundhyaya cQmIri-hhiiXfi-furtf&-bhSiaii grphya-

gTdhaknnf Cumtn. on Song, Ko. li, Caryit-pnda (Sastri’s edition).

m

T/CKTRTC BUDDHISM

river Sarasvoti and SMsiirnTia the Ganges, ‘ The names Lalana and ISasana and D^iainono-cflmrtna seem to be rather technical. *

The most common names for the pair of the nerves in the right and the left are the sun and the moon. These names are found in the Buddhist and the Hindu tantras alike. The nerves in the left and the right are called the Alt and the .Kali which repre^ sent the vowels and the consonants, which again in their turn are associated with the night and the day ; the night and the day are again associated with the moon and the sun,—and thus the nerves in the left and the right are also called the moon and the sun. The Htttha-^oga-pradlpikd speaks of these two nerv^es as day and night.* The SornTno/Kina’-faTitra says that the left neiwe is the moon because of its mild nature, whereas the nerve in the right is called the sun because of its fierce nature (rflurird-tmifed). We liave also seen that the left nerve is said to carry the seed and the right the ovum ; the seed is said to be the Siva—it is the moon,—^^and the blood is the ^akti,—^it is the sun, * In tile commentary on tlic Dokdkosa of Kanhu-pada we find that the moon originates from the seed and the sun from the ovum. * These two ner^-es

idayath j/aBiunfi-JerT

fiisiimnAtflin udBed fiaiigS f3$o?Ti yoga^ bhi^vet ||

Comm, on the first verse^

Sarah a said in a Do ‘here (within the body) are the Ganges imd the Jumna%

Saraha^s Dtihil No» 47« 

• Dt. C. Bagchi, however, suggests that may be

derived from j/~dhma which indicates a forward or outward move- menti whereas cam^no may be derived from V esm which means

• tO cat% I.Fp, taking in*

Fid« SfudiVj! in the p. 6^^

• dit/d na pujiiyet Img^m ratTau caiva iifl pii/avet|

jraruadd iingam diufl-rfllnt-nirodAdtflh |

• hinduh fioo mjah iakiir hindur indti r^fo tavib \

Gorak^-KiddhdntQ-sfirhgfaha^ ed. by Goplnitha Kavi-

raja* p. 41.

• candfo ra^tdt £7lrT/o-?a7nifclbAai7oA |

Comm, on Dohafcofa of Ka^hu-pada, MS* pJ SS{B).

THE EEiEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

173

are also said to carry the ^-ital winds prarta and opann and the prana has again been said to be the JJa/in and the apdna to be the * *fire of time' (A'alagni).' About the names M and Knfi we find in the commentary of the 3form(ifraiifcd-tflntra that JU and K«h' represent the vowels and the consonants wluch are forty-nine in number (‘ks* being a mere combination of the letters ‘k* and *s' is excluded), and forty-nine are the Fajftis (winds) and tlius Hi and Kali denote the wnnds and are thus associated with the two nerves in the right and the left. “ In the Vaisnava Sahajiya cult of Bengal we find Ida, Pmgala and Sasunina identified with Vdyu, Pitto and Kapha. *

In the Sekoddesa-fika of Nada pada we find men¬ tion of five important nerves, presided over by the five Tatliagatas. According to it, the left nerve in the upper region, w’hich is the moon, the La!ana or the Ida, which carries water, is of the nature of the Tathagata Amitabha; the right nerve, which is the sun, the Ifasand, which carries fire, is of the nature of Ratna- sambhava; in the middle of the lower region is the nerve (passage?) for stool, carrj^ing earth, and it is of the nature of Vairooanii; the left nerve (in the lower region) is the nerve for urine and carries air and is of the nature of Amogha-siddhi ; the middle ner\'e of the upper region is the nerve Rdktt carrjing Sunyatd and is of the nature of Aksobhya; the left nerve below it is the channel for semen ; it carries knowledge (/ndna-nafifni) and is of the nature of the Vajra- sattva, *

• prSnato rfihu-nwpattih npy npanafah l|

JbW., MS. p. miB).

• MS. B.N. Saiis. Na. 86, p. 9(B).

• piViuttfcI, «i(ftJn»na find flitJi hoi/fl I

i'6» pilfa feali loftc ySte fcayff [| ,

fikd, quoted m the Porf-Chattffnya Cull, by M. M. Bose, k.a., p. 'fl-

• G.0.5.J p. 61*

174

tJCKTRIC BUDDHISM

The middle nerve is generally called the The word has been explained in the following way,— Avadhati is that which destroys through its effulgent nature all the sins.' In the commentary of the Corya- pada also Avadkutl is described as that which washes away all the beginning] ess thought-cons traction of existence. * It has also been said to be as it

removes all the evils of afflictions very easily. * It is also called, as we have already said, the goddess Prajna, or the Nuiratnia, the Yogini or the Sahaja-damsel.

(ii) Selection of the Preceptor

Yogic practice is always indispensable for the attainment of the Bodhicitta. It is said in the PaiTca- krama that the vows and practices (urata-carya- dUcam) are iiideed useless without the tattva ; but perfect euliglvtemiient again can never be attained without practice. As the fire in the log of wood never manifests itself witliout friction, so the Bodhi (which is already w'ithin) will never he produced without proper practice. * In this practice great importance has been attaclied to the selection of the preceptor,— for it is neither by much reading nor by penances, nor by any amount of labour undertaken in innumerable practices that a Sddhaka can get at the truth; it has been repeated over and over again that tmth can never be attained without the blessings of the preceptor. Common sense will allow us to understand that where

^ avaih p^p^jh dhnvam (?) probM#tifliti-njpa(vdt

onaye^tij avadhullf

Comm, on the I)^hAko^{i of Kaohu-pida No^ 4)^

MS*, No. B. N* Sana. 47, p. 89(B).

^ iabdu-sandkyayH iw{\di-bha7;a-^vikmpnn cfi

etc.

Cumm. otj Sotkj^ No. 2.

^ avah^hyt^ omlbhQgcm khiA-di-papafh dhnnoii tty avadhutll

Conun. on the Dohaho^ti (DohA No. 4) of Kanhu-pudu

M. by MM. H* F. Slutri)/

' yatkA^gnir dnni-garbhm^ha no*tti^i hen 7na n thanad vinA | tathiVhhynsnd vmd bodhUr} j^yaie nc*ha innmani ]\

MS. p. 24(B).

\

\ THE ELEMENT OF ESOTEfllC YOGA 175

there is anything practical to be performed, there naturally comes the question of adopting a proper guide, and Indian religions, from the very beginning in the \ edic lime down to the modern era, invariablj^ involve sonic kind of practice either ceremonial and ritualistic or yogte; hence is the importance of the (JurM, ^ The Guru is very often regarded higher than God himself, for God is sometliing absolutely fictitious to a man unless he has been blessed by the practical instruction of the Guru which enables a man to realise what God or the ultimate reality is. The Tantras, as we have seen, lay the greatest emphasis on the practi¬ cal aspect of religion and the practices enjoined in the Tantras are very secret and complex,—tliere is the chance of physical or mental aberration at every step,

on the one hand, these praclices, when properly and sj'stcmatically carried out, will lead a man to the highest spiritual elevation through the realisation of the truth; on the other hand, they may lead a man to the darkest abyss of hell, it these are not very cauti¬ ously and methodically carried out with the directions of the experienced Guru. Because of this difficulty in out these practices and because of the great dangers they may veiy easily lead to, these practices have always been kept most secret and there is no other way to learn them than the blessings of the well- experienced Guru. It is for this reason that we find in most of the Tantras chapters devoleti to the selection of a good preceptor and a good disciple. Even the Carjya-songs and the Dohas of the Siddha-caryas refer to this importance of the Guru everj^ now and then. This Guru-vada in Iiulia, current from a very old time Md emphasised in the Tantric ages, has also’flowed on in all tlie minor religious seets of India.

After securing a suitable preceptor and also a suit¬ able Prajtia (woman) the Yogin should approach the reverend Guru and propitiate him by worship, hymns, etc. Then follows the ceremony of Abhi^eka or initia-

TANTBIC buddhism

/

176

/

i

tion into the cult. This AbhiseJta is a ver>^ old custom of initiation with religious rites and ceremonies and it is also found in early Buddhism in the initiation to tiie vow of pabbajjd (praura/yo, literally, going out, i.e,, the vow of renunciation) and the initiation to upasflTTi- pada (literally, arrival, the entry into the circle of the fully accredited members of the Sahgha or monas¬ tery). Even now this ceremony of is current

in all schools of Buddhism in all the countries. This is held to be indispensable for the Sddhana in esoteric Buddhism. It is said that the Yogin who wishes to attain the Yogihood without proper initia¬ tion only darts a blow to the sky with fists and drinks the water of mirage.' The jlWmeka in the secret cult is generally know'n as the T In some

texts we find Mantras for four kinds of Abkiseka, viz., Kalasd-bbkeka (i.e., initiation by outward purification by the water of the jar, etc.), Guhyd-bhiseka (initiation into the secret cult), Prujfid-bimeka (initiation to per¬ fect ivisdom) and i'ujrd-tpkjse^^a (i.e., initiation to the adamantine truth).* In the 5cfcaid-Tit'aya-sa»hgrah(i we find that this Kalasd-bkiseka comprises within it six Abhi^ekas, viz,, initiation with Vdaka (water), Mttkuta (a crown), Vajra (the thunder), <51ioafd (the bell), Kama (name) and ^edrya (the preceptor), and these six Abhisekas are of the nature of the six Tathd- gatas. * Thus the initiation with water is of the nature of ideal knowledge, and so of Aksobhya'; the initiation with the crown is of the nature of equalising know-

• hr yo yogi yogUvum {ibhiviiuckatil

hau^aic lamttna^kMam pivet mrga-tmnk^m [|

Qilotcd lit the KtiyU-mnigruha-ptinjik^, MS^ p. afAJ*

' For this Abhk€kti, see Pmjm-pilya-vUmcaya-s^ddhU Ch. \\ Jmna-Mddhip Ch. XVtl^ iirsi pit^aia of the

second etc^

^ the Ch* on -IbAift'A'ri in the MS-

pp. l(A)-6(B)> eailected io the

Advnya-vajm-mmgraha (GpO,S-), Ih'VQjnt-iantru^

dala-^kTarim * Stkoddum-ilha (G.O*5*h

• Vid^ Sn-f^tikra-mmbhara-tajitra.

• pp. 86-87*

^ T3CE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA 1T7

ledge («a»iatd jiiana), and so is of the nature of Ratna- sambhava; initiation with the thunder is of the nature of discritninative knowledge and represents Amitdhha; the initiation witli the bell is of the nature of the per¬ formance of duties and so represents Amogha-stddhi; the initiation with a name is of the nature of the know^ ledge of the perfectly pure dharma-dhdta and re¬ presents Vairoeana and the initiation by the Acarya is of the nature of the adamantine knowledge (najra- iwdna). ‘ But in general Kalasa-bkiseka seems to be the rite of initiation by pouring the water of the jar. Next is the Guhyd-bhiseka or the initiation into the secret cult. Here the preceptor explains all the secret processes of the yogic sadkana by which Bodhicitta should be produced through the union of the Upaya and the Prajfia, how its downward tendency should be checked, how it should be sent upward to the tTsaisa- kamala and how Mahd»ukha of the nature of nirvana is to be attained. After the Cuhyd-bhiseka the pre¬ ceptor explains to the disciples the void nature of the self (pudgala) as welt as of all the objects (dharr»a), and also how tills yogic process leads a man to the realisation of that perfect knowledge (prapld). This part is, therefore, called the Prajna-bhiseka or the Prajnd-jndnd-bbiseka, But as Vajra is the ultimate adamantine reality and the ultimate principle of purity, the initiation ends with an initiation into the Vajra- jndna called the Vajra-^indna-bhUeka.

After initiation the Yogin with his ^ludra is led to the Mandala or the mystic circle and is then permitted to perform the Yoga in company of the Mudra or the Prajha, ‘ In some texts, however, the intiation is performed within the Maijdala.

» For the also fice Vujra-vati-nama-vmndQia-paiifik^,

MS- R.A.S.B.» No, m55, pp. S0(A>-S1{A> iiiid 9S(A)—IDD(A).

• For detaUe Mcir'ojTa-tantrn ; ril^o St:koddcAii^pika (G.O-S-),

p. The Frujii^ here is called Mudrt as she is. instrumental to the attummcnt of bliss (mtidam sukha-vHe^am raiim Tnudru

—p, 50)* *

O.P* 105—28

ITS

tXNTBIC BUDDHiSftE

/

In some texts again we find other preparatory rites of killing or driving away the disturbing ghosts and spirits and all other evils of the ten quarters through the help of I^Iantras and other practices, and of placing the ten Buddhas in the ten quarters for safety in Yoga, We have already seen that in this yoga- sadhana the Yogin has to be a god,—he must realise himself as the god or the Supreme Lord Buddha, and the woman to be united with, must be realised to be nothing but the embodiment of Prajna or ^unyaia- knowledge. For this reaUsation the Yogin places the five Tathdgatas and their female counter-parts with their respective bi/a-?iwmtras in the dificrcnt parts of the body (both of himself and of the ^ludra), and during all these processes lie should meditate and recite that he is of the nature of adamantine know¬ ledge. ‘

(iii) The Productfon of BodhicHta and Its Regulation

After all these preparatory rites follows the esoteric practice, which is strictly prohibited to be taken in the ordinary sense; it should be performed only as a process of Yoga for the attainment of the Bodhicitta or for the realisation of the ultimate Sahaja- nature of the self and the d/tamas. * * Through the yogic union of the Prajna and the Upaya, the Bodhi¬ citta is produced within, and after it is produced its flow must be checked in the navel region which is the Manipura-cakra or the Nirmana-baya-cakra* It is

‘ Cf. The Prii^i-^roiiia of Pflnen-ftraTna; tdnfni, MS. pp. l-l(A)—14(B); Ctfto-uisuJd/ii-prnjfardnOi Verses 76-78.

• C/.,—manfAayff kamala^mbhodhim

JvSSi-vsU-vajTii-iu^a-tantTa, MS. p, 18(B).

Thii liDE is quoted in the .Ifdrmatrafiicd-tanrra as belnnging to the fruh!/d-va/>u-uir5«iril.s(i«fhana, MS. (B.N, Sans. No. 8S) p. 26(A).

• Vide Sr^-kala-cakra-tantm^ MS. (Cambridge, Add. No. 1861),

p. 1(H(B).

C/* CdtxiiD. ou No^Si va/ru-^tiniinaii paidf

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

179

.\

held that as long as the Bodiiicitta remains restless, it binds us to the^ world of existence and non-existence; but when its movement is stopped once for ever in the lotus in the head, it produces the state ot supreme bliss which is of the nature of liberation. Thus this Bodiii¬ citta has got tw'o aspects; in tlie ordinary restless aspect it is called the samurta and in the motionless aspect of intense bliss it is called the uiwia or tlie paramarthika. It is said in the Heoajra-tantra,— One should produce Bodhicitta in the form of both vivfta and samurfa; the sariiurfa is like a Kuiida flower white in its physical form), and the vivrta is of the form of bliss.”* We have seen that the Madhya- mikas believe in two aspects of the reality, the samnrtt- satytti i.e., the phenomenal or the provisional truth and the pdramarthika-satya which is the ultimate truth (corresponding to the ■vydvaliarika and paTamoTthika of the Vedantists). These twofold aspects of the Bodhicitta, the physical or the phenomenal aspect (in the form of semen virile) being the samurfa and the ultimate aspect (in the form of incorporeal all-pervad¬ ing Mahdsukha as the ultimate nature of the dharmas) being the pdranidrthika or the uiufta seems to be drawn in analogy with the twofold conception of the

&i>d!Atciftam ...... vmidh^yfiti f

Comm, on Cartf^-patiti, No. 3. nuni-friflr tAhro odi&ne 9a§&a [| Son^ No. 4. mani.T)iufn(l fcrd'dA.vom gottxT gdfufi niakdatthha-cakrt antor* bhsvdtrl Comm, on Song No. 4. mani-mflitt-duAra'RinidAitm kartavyam \ Ibid, kacchika-jtiaiii-fimlam gatani, fad fuo bodAuriltinii tahoja- nuadciia vidArtam vaiRtdf^driV cotro-ddiijftia pt’dt.^lhain kutttj Comm, on Song No. 13,

See also Petiica-krama of Ghoijtapiida quoted in the Su&Aisifa- smhgraha of Bendoll, )i. 72; Jfni/a-iiOfitgmAn-pafffi/r.a, MS. p. 75(.A); .Vofmo-froirAo-tonfTO, MS. p, 4tB).

' hodhictffoni ulpdifni^rt voriirffi-^amvrtti-nipafcain | xamurfarn Aunifn^aniAnjani vivrfoni siiAha^rapinam j| f/evnjrn-tontra, MS. pp. i7(B)—43 (A).

C), AI 30 fferat'd'tonfm, MS. {R..4.S.Bi, No. il270) p. 74(A).

180

tAimilC BUDDHISM

/

truth of the Madhyamikas.' For the attainment of the MahdsuJcha the flow of Bodhicitta must be arrested. It is said that as long as the Yogin does not discharge Bodhicitta, he enjoys intense and mn-uffled bliss aris¬ ing from the joyous sensations; but if Bodhicitta, which is the cause of all perfection, flows down, it cannot be made to rise through the middle nerve and no perfec¬ tion is attained. *

How then to check the downward flow of the Bodhicitta ? For this purpose Hatha-yoga is resorted

' Id the llevttjTG-'totttta it is clearly explDinet] how to produce the gross Bodhicitta through I he physical process and how to turn it to the Viuflu form through the yogie process. FIcasurc may also be rcalifed through the discharge of the Bodhicitta, but that has unrcieri'cdly been condemned by all the Buddhist Tantrikas; and it has been said that instead of delivering a msn it binds him to tte realm of gross sense-jileasuic. It is, therefore, that we find in all the texts repeated warnings not to discharge the Bodhicitta; if it be discharged, the .l-f^fhdsuhAo is never realised and if the .Vahdsukho be not realised, the ultimate Sahnja-aatiire can never realised, and if the ultimate natuie be not realised, a man is not liberated from the world of illusion. MS, pp. 48(Ay-^g(A).

There is no greater sin tban discharge and no greater merit than bl™ tarising from the motionless Bodhicitta).” Again* ‘‘Dis¬ charge 19 the progenitor of detachment (utragn) and from detachment arises sorrow, and from sorrow is the loss of the vital element and from the loss of the clement comes death**.

no vrrag<j(f) paratii pvpam ptm)jam na sakhatah pamm[ tatha ca,^^otirotraga-«]mhhtitiV vit&gad du/tkha-samhhaoahl du^khdd dhaiu-kfayam piiriisam kssyai mrtyuh prajayate j|

Quoted in the Comm, on the iVarmo-hab'kd-tiiiitfli, MS.

p. S(A).

Also quoted in the Comm, on the Dohako^ of Kknhu-pada as belonging to the idi-huddha, SIS. (B,N. Sans. No. 47) p. 49(B).

In the Sckpddfia wc find that the Sahaja-form of the Lord is nothing but the motionless state of the fluid,

ydvan iir.) putnfi prahh^ooroma^dh ^tA-oiiii-dhord-ilravo

neirl-padma-dulo-^arc sainqmsf-hhiifa jinAnain gdMth | tphurad (sic, spAnrijod) vnjra~iikk&~gtatafy karunay^ hhmnaiTi jagat-kamniim

garjjadd hi katnttH-balarya sabajum janthi tnpam vibkofy |[

Quoted in the Comm, of the Coryd-pada, Song No. 8. Srf-hdfa-cRkro definitely declares that salvation is impoEsible through the discharge, — so the Yogins should always shun world Iv pleasure. ■*

htador nuikfe hra mokjo gata-parama-atikhis yoginith janma^blft fosmdl somrdrfl-ifluifAifom fetandmiha {fatiAAriji tarvada uaTjaniuBm || MS. Ch. V. O'ncna-pajidfa), Verse I2fl. ”

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

181

to. In the commentary of the Marma-kalika-tantra, we find that the flow of the Bodhicitta is to be checked by the help of Sadtin^a-yo^a or the Yoga with six parts; these are: abstraction {pratj/dhdra), medita- tion {dhydna), restraint of the breath iprdndyama), attention {dkdrand}, remembrance (anasmrfi) and final absorption {samddki ).'

In the M-guhya-samaja (Ch. XVIII) we find detailed description of these six parts of Yoga, and these descriptions are again fully commented on in the Sekoddesa-tika of Nado-pada. The first part of Yoga, viz,, pTatydhdTa means the restraint of the ten senses from their respective objects through a process of abstraction. Through pratydkdra the Sddhaka deve¬ lops an aversion to all physical forms and perception, and he further develops an insight whereby he can view all objects of tlie world from the ^unyatd pers¬ pective. The second part, viz., dhydna means viewing the panca-kdmas (five objects of desire) as of the nature of the five Buddlias. The five objects of desire stand here for all the objects of the world (sarve bhdvdh sthiTa-cald-tmakdli') and the five Buddhas stand for Buddha in general. Dhydna here then means meditating on all existence as of the nature of Buddha in the ultimate essence. This dhydna is again of five kinds, viz., vitarka, viedra, pnti, sukha and ekagrata. Vitarka means gukya-trayo-daya, i.e,, the sudden flash in the ciftfl of a general ideal reflection (caitya-sthuld- kdrena) of the three elements of three times. Viedra means meditating on the specific nature of objects as of the nature of perfect enlightenment. Pnti means an agreeable state of mind resulting from the taking in of the object s; snkha means the delight resulting

^ pratyakaros tathfi dhy&nam pravi&y&ino'tha cffrfimnAj rinii»nrfi7i mmatihU ca yoga ucyaie ||

,^rI.^uhyfl.jsamajo*frti»fni (G.O.S.h Ch. XVm, p, 168. C/. .Waifrfi^janiya Upanifad {Cottetrs Editioji, Ch. VI, p. 129) whete the .'IfigfTS nfe described ss Prtilt/Ahclrji,

TarAa (eelf-cxanunadonl and Sa'Fnddhi.

182

TANTRIC BUDDHISM

. /

from iiuch meditation; ekagrata means the fixing of

the mind in the SOnyataj i.e., the onc-pointed state of mind which remains steady in the realisation of the Sunyata-nature of all objects.

The third part of Yoga is prdnfiyama, which means the control and arrest of the vital wind {pra'^a- vdyu), TJiis prdna-vdyii is of the nature of the five elements (paAca-bhuta) as w'ell as the five Buddhas. The wdnd that flows through the left nostril (which is ialaiia) represents the principle of the five skandhas (which are identified with the paiica-hhutas) and the wind flowing througSt the right nostril (which is rasoiia) represents the principle of the five Buddhas, These two courses of the vital wind must be united and made into a subtle body, as it were, and made flow through the middle nerve passing through the lotuses in the navel, heart, neck and the forehead. Then this vital wind must be made steady in the lotus between the two eye-brows. This is what is meant by prdndydvia,

Tliis process of prdndydma is regarded as very important in the esoteric Yoga of the Buddhists and is variously described in diflerent texts. We have seen before that in the Panca-kravia tlie vital wind has been described as the vehicle (uahana) for our defiled nature (prakrti) and this vdyu is described as the root of all the principles of defilement and as such the root- cause of the samsara or the cycle of birth and death. In the Vajra-japa-krama of the Paficn-kToma we find that mantra-tattva is nothing but the vdya-tattva (the science of the vital wind). This vdj/n-tattufl com¬ prises within it the five taftuas (whicli when combined together constitutes the ultimate truth); these are the iattvas of the five Dliyani-Buddhas and, therefore, of the five skandhas. It is said in the text Vajra-^ndJd that from the air of the right nostril issues forth a lustre of red colour; it is the circle of fire and Padma-

183

^ THK ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

natha is the presidingr deity here; fioni the left issues forth the lustre of deep green colour in an aertal circle and Kurma-natka is the deity here; the lustre issuing forth from both the nostrils is of yellow colour and it is said to be the circle of Ijidra and presided over by Hofna-natho. The steady wind within^ of the colour of the white Kunda flower, or the moon, is the circle of VaruTia, prescribed over by rairo-naffta, and the wind pervading the whole physical system and prompting all the active tendencies is of the nature of Vairocana: These five kinds of lustre of the nature of the five Buddhas are to be thought of in the region between the two brows, i.e,, at the starting point of the nose (ndsdgrfl) and they arc to be thought of united into the form of a mustard seed (sarsapa); in this mustard seed, however, the whole universe of the static and the dynamic should be meditated on,—it is also to be thought of as tlie place of all wisdom—of all the mysteries of knowledge.* This niustard seed, however, represents the Lord himself of the nature of the five wisdoms.* This small figure of the form of the mustard seed representing the five kinds of winds of the nature of the five elements and the five kinds of wisdom, is

' daJcfinM vinirgato taimir hutabhun-ma^datafi ca JaH rnkta-yar^am idarh vyaktmh padrno-nalha'Im dfiiald if vdmdd vinirgata rahnir vSyu-mai}daIa-mm}mtafy\ karil-iyarna-mnkdiak karDta-ndthQ’tTa |( dvSbhijam vinirgato jirtfl-farno I

mahendra-tnandalaii caitad r(iOi<i-^na)jAu*lra devoid i stabdko tnanda-pracarat fii fiYa-A-mKic-tidM^nm'bftnfc! 'inmidatBm caitad vajra-niitho*tra devoid [| ’

jtaiyff.^cAa.Ri/ga Liaifub |

T.'utrocananSvi7bA£vo*«ou mftah&yiid viniiedret |[

Quoted in the PancS'frniflta, MS. p, 10(B), rtdi^-gre sanajiam cintet mrsape ta-^ard-caram \ hh^vaijet jmna-podaih ram^am rabwj/arri jnana-Jtutpitani :i paf}ca.t.'ar9arii niaba^triarii sor^Rpa-jitAufa-Tnatrcij^anil nmika-gre prayalneaa bhavayedyogatah mdd |l , . Ibid,, MS.' p, 10(A).

paiiCq.}ii0Aa7nR^arn totfrani (arfapa-sfAfiin.mAtrqiom [ tasya madhyc Jtftjfo licoo hy ovyakto vyakto-rftpav&n || taturdevi-paripfcckd-vydlchyd-taniTo, quoted in the PaUca-kTanta, MS. p, lO(.A).

184 TlNTBlC BUDDHISM /

meditated on in the region of nosogra ancl itself is called pra^aydma^ In many places of the Sri-Samcja we find mention of this theory of the five kinds of winds of the nature of the five elements and the five jMnas, which are to be meditated on in the region between the brows in the form of the mustard seed.’ Xt may be noted in this connection tliat in the Hindu texts also we find five kinds of vital wind, viz., prona, npaan. samdna, u|/ona and addna and in the Maitrdj/oai Vpanisad we find that before the world of the animate was created Prajapati (the creator of all beings) looked on his creation and found al! around that his objects of creation were stones, mindless, lifeless, stark as stocks; he then reflected,—^"I will enter within”, but as one, he could not animate them and, therefore, divided himself in five and hence he is named fay five names, uiz., prdna, apdna, samdna, nydna and itddna.* * We also find in this connection that tlie five senses are but the five lustres from within.*

The japa of the Mantras, according to the Fanca- kranta^ does not mean the mere chanting or the mutter¬ ing of the Mantra; it is, as it is with the school of Mantra-yoga, a yogic process for controlling the vital wind with the help of the Jlantras. In JMantra-yoga some Mantras (as for example *om* containing with¬ in it the parts *a’, 'u’ and ‘m’) are divided con- venieritly into three parts, and these three parts are associated with the three parts of the process of prnna- ydma, viz., Puraka, Kumbhaka and Recaka. Thus here in the Panca-kraTna the japa-Trtontro is oih ah hum and to mutter them in the yogic process according to

‘ paBc<i-;nortOTijayam ffiffljfltfi po flcfl-bfcutii-sifrtfiftauafram | ntjcaTT^Q paJfno-ndM-gff pinda-mpena kalpatfet ]| pajJca-vamom mdM-roJnaiij fti wnHaml

nfa-monlrarh. hrday* dJij/oCDa ciUaw brndw-gutciit nyflierf ||

Sam&jo-ttara quoted in the Potica-trama, MS. p, 16(A).

• (G.O.S.) pp, 15, S5,

• Ch. II, Ed. by E. B. Cowell, pp, 2{J-28.

• itid., pp. 84-S5.

^ the ELEiLENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA 185

their meaning is ealled vajra-japa.,' Whal is then the meamng of this Mantra om a/t /tuTii? It is said, the

• om* * creates all beings, ‘ah' preserves them and ‘huih'

destructs them ; in Yoga, therefore, ‘om’ will mean the inhalation, ‘ah’ the suspension and ‘hum* the exhala- tion.' Thus the vajra-jdpa seems to be nothing but pranaydnia assoeialed with the Mantra for the control of tiie vital wintl ami the Panca-fcrfima-tipprtMf makes it very clear that the vdjrd-j&pa is nothing but the process for controUing the vital wind and to control the vital wind is to control the mind, and to control the mind and to destroy it is to realise the essenceless- ness of the dharmas. * In the commentary of the Caryd-padas we find occasional mention of this ua/ra- japa and it seems from the references that Tja/rn-jnpa was regarded as indispensable for the Yoga for the attainment of the *4iiwttara-5nwadfit or the ultimate state of extinction or rather absorption in the Mahd- sukha. Some other well-known Mantras of Buddhism were also tlius given some kind of yogie interpretation. Of these an important Mantra is, om niatiipadnie /iuiii, Pfldnia is well-known froni the Upanisadie period as the symbol of the generative energy and as such it often means female or the female oi'gan; want' or dianvond suggests its analogy with the masculine ele¬ ment,—and tiius the Mantra owt manipadme hum may be interpreted as symbolising the sexo-yogie practice of Tantric Buddhism. *

In a song of BhUxSiika-pada this vital wind, com¬ pared to a mouse, has itself been spoken of as citta and

^ om hum artfm-Tm^ama-japma |

vk^rattnt im^ca-buddhehhjio m najate ll

MS. p. 17(A).

fawiAarfl a,^i-AaraA sthUpoho

prafcjirtj? cmVei ca ktamena ca|

fdpef mfintram obhinnii-ng4tm sfhitafy |:

Ibid., MS. p. 18(A).

= MS. (BN. Satis. Noa. 05> 66) p- 38(A).

• Sec J.R.A.S., 1 S> 06 . Ste al&o HasHtig's Encijchjmedm of

RcJtgion anii p. 55S.

O.P. 105—24

1S6

TAXTIirC-BUDDHl SM

/

(

i

it has emphatically been declai'ed that tliis mouse is the cause of all our existence,—the duty of the Vo»in is to kill this mouse with instructions from the preceptor,' In another son» of Kanhu-padu we find it put in an enigmatic metaphor, ‘Kanhu has killed the mother-in- law and the sister-in-laws of the house and killing the mother also has become the Kapali". ’ The mother-in- law (snsa) here represents the vital wind of the nature of the mind and the sister-in-law- (nnnanda) represents the wind that is responsible for the sense-perceptionis of sight, etc. Comm.)

and^ the mother {man) represents the world illusion (mdj/a), and in the Pa/icff-/rr(ima the vital wind has been spoken of as the niuyd whicli is responsible For the world-illusion. *

In the Dohakosas we find frequent references to this arrest of the vital wind and of the control of the mind therewith. Thus it is said, ‘He who holds fast his vital wind and does not allow the mind to move a bit, casts aw'ay the fire of time verj* easily. Saraha says, rub the two nerves, the sun and the moon, into one/ * Again it is said,-^Xeave off this horse of the mind and the vital wind; he who does it is firmly established in the A'a/m/a-nature.’‘ With the instruc¬ tion of the preceptor arrest the vital wind through the constant arrest of mind. When this vital wind is made steady what can time or death do of the Yogin ? ' Kaqhu-pada also says in a Doha,—“If the door for the going in of the vital wind be firmly locked up and if in the abyss of darkness the Bodhi-mind be kept as the light, then the jewel of Jina touches the void above and attains nirvana through the enjoyment of life in the world,”

’ Song No, 21.

• Song No. 11.

\ p. 2r(Al.

• n of Sotftha (Dr. P. C. Bagchi** Editioni.

Dohakoxit of Saraha, Do Ad No. *

• Ibid., No, 60.

Dohdkosa of Xanhu-pidp, Dphd No, 22.

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA 187

The fifth part of the Yoga is dkarand; in this stage all the functions of the senses are stopped and the jewel of vital wind is held fast in the lotus between the eye¬ brows. This dhdraiid leads to the realisation of five omens or signs. The first sign is like a mirage, tiie second Is like smoke, the third is like tlie fire^fly, the fourth like a bright light and the fifth is elfulgetit like the cloudless sky.'

The next part of Yoga, anitsinrif, is tlie remem¬ brance of the realisation of the previous stages. The next part, Samadlii, is described as the accumulation of and the meditation on all tlie existence in the form of a circular mass (himha) produced through Prajnd and Vpdya and the quick attainment of knowledge through that meditation. Tlirough pratyahara the Yogin is established in all the Mantras, through dhydna he attains the fivefold transcendental or super- Jiatural knowledge or faculty (pa?icfl-6hi/iiafoa) * *; through prdnayama is attained Bodhisattvahood, through the strength of dharai^a Vajrasattvahood; and tlirough nnwsmrfi the Sddhaka enters the circle of effulgence {prabkd-mandala} and tlirough aamddhi he becomes free from all the veils (dvenma).

The flow of Bodliicitta is to be arrested tlirough some process of Hatha-yoga called madra, bandha and flsana and the prdiidyd7na (the process of breath-con¬ trol); and it is held tiiat through the proper practice of these processes the flow of Bodhieitta can be controlled by the Yogin under all circumstances.*

‘ For a deUiled study of these signs s« Obscure Religious Cults of tJie preceiit writer.

• *Tli* five dbApZis nie:—(1) /ddhf-uidhd or Iddfci-piKib/fedfl {the different niftgicsJ powers), (iij Dihba-sotam (divine ear), (lii) Purassa Cetopariyananfirii, or r(iradUu-t;r/anariaNi (knowledge of the thoughts of others), (iv) Piih&ridudsd-rtussutmiinaui (knowledge of the former existences), (v) Di&5o-cakMu {the divine eye). A sixth is also often added, uw., j^saua-jtkha^a-kurit-Fuiitom (the knowledge which causes the destruction of humaji passions).

• III these mudfas and 6tin(Pin3 the main thing seems to be the

acquisition of the capacity for the eontraetinn and expansion of some of the muscles and nerves tissociated with the root of the

1S8

TANTR IC-BirODHI SM

I

Now after the BoiUiieitta is produced and its downward flow arrested, the Bodhicitta mast march upward to reach the final stage in the (7snrsa-/i:aruafo. With tills raising: of the Bodhicitta from the navel to the lotus in tlie cerebrum through the different Cakras we may compare the Mahay ana conception of the

peais ^ well m tJie axiiis and with this contrul of the miiscLes aod the nerves is often associoted the que:itioii of bfcath-contral. Among these mudrm the most Important seem to be the SaAnfoli

end deseribeti m details m the ilathayoga-pmdlpikii^ Among

the other the Khecan-yrntdray the AJflh5-Tnwrfrdp the .ijrcja?-

jtiudra^ the Vajroni-vwdra {Ghcrand^-somkitii t 3/i5-47), the Fotir- ijiudra^ etc., are Tcry important^ In the description of the^tc [ind ^andhos we Jind it rcpcetcdly declared that if these are

rightly practised, the flow of semen can be checked at any stage ander any condition. The hcitrd/iiT^ arc also the contmetion and tying upj as it wercp of many of the muscles and nerves^ Among them me Vddi^ana-bandhaj the Jn/ojrdhora-hnndha, the .Ifufa- handha, the .tfoftn-handhn, the etc* are described to

be i^ery effective for the purpose.

But m this yogic priiciicc of the arrest of the downward flow of semen and of giving it an upward flow to make It reach the make It motio^css there the conLroL of the differ¬ ent l^ds of the vital wind is absolutely necessary. There is a very close relation between the Enotidzi of semcn^ the vital wind and the citto and tlie relation is so Intimate tliat the arrest of any one of them will stop the course ot the other two. It has been said that the bin do will attain exactly the same state as the vital windi and both of them move and stop in perfect eotrespondence (dwiTta- xiddhi)^ So, for the purpose of arresting the flow of the Bodhicitta the ^dtal wind must also be checked* For all these purposes the two nerves in the right and the left require to he purifiM. For this piiribcation of the Nadf^ the yogin should first tote in the vital breath (priit<a) through the moon (i-ti-, the Ida or the nen^e in the left) and afler the suspension of the breath within for some time after Kuiabhotu) should exhale the breath through the

gun Pihgala or the nerve in the right); then again he should

inhale the breath through the sun and after A^uuibbu/fn exhale it through the moon; the nerves are sure to be puriJied through this process. After this the yogio should practise to suspend the vital breath within and instead of regulating it either in the left or ia the right nerve should try to regulate it along the middle nerve- In the Hfruka-tantra we Find the same process de^ribed for the puriheatioD of Ihe nerves as well as for the attainment of full control over breath (5fh pnfnffl). The most important of the pro¬ cesses for the arrest of the flow of Bodhicitta is the or the suspension of the vital wind, both PrdnQ and Apdnu. Prdfiia is the wind that moves upward, and Apaim is the wind that moves downward, and generally the disturbed semen within the body is discharged through the downward motion of Ap^na^ but if thi?

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

ISfl

march of the Bodhieitta through the ten stages after its production. Again we find in the Hindu Tantras that ttie world-force (kula-ktixidalim iakti}^ residing in the lowest Cahra, coiled like a serpent, is to be raised from its latency and taken to the Sahasrorn through the various Cakras with the help of yogic processes. Ill the Tantrie Buddhist school also there is the ques¬ tion of raising the Sakti in connection with raising the Bodhieitta. It is said that when the Bodhieitta is produced in the navel region the goddess Candali is also awakened, as it were, in the Nirmdna-cakra. When she is a'wakened the moon situated in the fore¬ head begins to pour nectar and this nectar rejuvenates

is nrrcifted, the Bodhieitta caiifiot go downward^ and if Prdna u arrasItHij it cimnot go upward p und^ therefore, Vfhtn both ofe arreilcd or made passive, it can neither go upward nor go down- word, bat beeoineEi motionless like the motionless air within. itha I/O gQmai uha na |tii|

tmu nkcaia ihdi [[ h'iuha mana ki^havi na phnitai \ ntcerafa gliariiii g?uiri? ii'nfiai |(

DofefiAtojia of Kanhu-padat No- !■&.

Also the Comm.:—arfhn no gacrJicifj^ apdna-vit^of nirodhGt^ firddhvQin nq gocfhnfi prflao-uSyor art/diit'u-d hah prana-pdmlb hy^ik ra hit a m pti t/oktani rq^iirq tathn-mpena bodhicitianiiurasfja ttsfhafrfj ||

In the commentary of the .IforfHa-froItta-rawtrij we find that the flow of the Bodhieitta must be cheeked by .ingo-rir/dso and lfarii-a|/usq. The o?Jgo iii explained as the Apjiio wind pi 23A) and the

kiira is ex plained as Ibe Prd no wind (^oni mofiosutha-ccrfrrq-fqfi MrAniifrfi kamh pnlna-vaguh, p. 24 ^ 4 } and thus Anga--nyiim and Kara-nyfisfi mean the Tefjulation of tlie Prdm and the .4pdn«  winds. Ill a i^ong of Kukkiiri-pada we find,—‘*The milk of the two teats cannot be (i.r., is very diffientt to be) held in tire milk-pot^ the tamarind of the tree is eaten up by the crocodile” {Song No- 2). The Implication seems to be that the novice yoginsi Clin not arrest the How of Bodhieitta in the navel region by o full control over the two nerves (which are compared to the teats of the i-OW, and the jlianrpjim in the navel being compared to the milk-pot)+ But expert yogms control Bodhieitta (which is compared to the tamorineb the body being the tree) with the help of the suspension id the vital breath or Kumbhnkn (which is said to be the Kumbhtra)^ Again it is said^ “The mother-in-law has fallen asleep and the daughter-m-law awakes-” (Song No, 2), Here also the mother- in-law (sasfir^) represents the vital wind ivdsa and when she is asleep* i.rwhen the vital wind is completely suspended, the daughter- in-law iL'ahfuh)^ reprt-senling the Axindhiitikd^ awakes.

190

tXntbic-bu ddhism

and traniiubstantiates the body of the Yogin. This goddess Cundali, variously fcnowu as Ponibl, Yoginit Sakaja-sundan, Nairdfma (or Naframaai) is variously described in various Tantras, Doh^ and songs. In the process of rising from the lovvest Cakra to the highest she transforms herself variously, causing new realisa¬ tions to the Sddhaka. From all that is said about her nature it seems that she is of the nature of a strong internal perception—something like a force of the nature of intense bliss produced through the esoteric yogic practice. As tile nature of this Sakti, as conceiv¬ ed in the Buddhist Tantras, Dohas and songs has been studied in detail by the present writer in another work,* * he does not propose to repeat the point here.

Another important point, noticeable in this cou- nection, is the regulation of the Bodlileitta through the middle path. We have seen that the philosophical schools within Mahay ana were all, or at least professed to be, followers of the middle path inasmuch as all of them declared that the hnal state is neither a state of bhava nor a state of —but it transcends or

synthesises both. This Mahayanic principle has been adopted by the Tan trie Buddhists in their practical Yoga in regulating the Bodhicitta through the middle path (i.e,, the middle nerve Ai;(id/iut!7fd) avoiding the two extremes which are represented by the two nerves in the right and the left. This principle of adopting the middle path in the Sadkana has variously (and often very poetically) been explained in the Tantras, Dohas and songs i but as this point has also been dealt elaborately elsewhere,’ it need not be repeated here.

(iv) The Four Mudrds, Font Moments Atid The Four Kinds of Bliss.

In this production of the Bodhicitta four stages, associated with the four Cakras or lotuses, arc dis-

' Obscure Retigwus Cults, Clinpter IV.

• Op. «ff.

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA 191

tinctly -marked, and on the basis of these four stages iive find mention of four Mwdrds, four moments (Airsana) and four kinds of bliss. The four jl/udrds are: K.aT}Yi(t-7iiiidTUt OJiaTtncL-^nudTo, Mtihu-Jtiiidra and S(i)jiaya-7ttudTd; the four moments are : Ficffra, Vlpaktif Vimarda and Vilaksana; and the four kinds of bliss are: Ananda, Paramd-nanda, Yiramd^anda and Sahajd- nanda, Tiie Mudras here are practically the different stages of the Sadhand, In the small text entitled Catur-miidrd we find that these four stages in the Sadh&nd and the resulting realisations are metaphori¬ cally described as the four ilfutirns (or great women) of the Sddhuka. Here Karma-mudrd is explained as the physical yogic process of the Sadhand (including the production of the Bodhicitta, arrest of the flow of Bodhicitta, giving it the upward motion, etc.) ; the realisation here is of sensual pleasure (dnanda) and, therefore, it only resembles the Sa/ia/o-bliss very faintly. The knowledge produced here is also not the pure knowledge, it only resembles perfect knowledge very faintly by analogy. Tillo-pada says in a Doha that the Kartna-mudrd should never be depreciated, for this is the yogic practice for the realisation of the four monients and pleasure.' Dkarma-mudra is said to be of the nature of the dkarma-dkdtu (i.e., the ulti¬ mate element of the dkarmas), non-phenomenal (mV prapanca), free from thought^onstructions ( nirvi- kalpa), natural (a-krtrima), uncreate, of the nature of compassion and it produces Pamnia-nanda (great bliss). It seems that when the Bodhicitta is made to flow upwards through the middle nerve .4radftiifi, a knowledge, associated with a realisation of bliss, of the ultimate element underljdng all the elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether is obtained and the Sdd/tand of this stage is called the Dftarmo-mjidrd.^ When the Bodhicitta moves still more upwards, a transcendental

’ Doha No. 2A,

• Ftde Advaya-vajTa-aaih£raha (G.O.S.}, pp. aa-S4.

192

taotric-budditism

knowledge and realisation is produced and it is called the Jl/o/id-inwdrd, It is described as cssenceless, free from the v'eils of subjectivity (/lieifa-varnrio) and the passions (fc/esd-uarana) ; it is like the clear mid-ilay sky of the autumn, the origin of all wealt1i> the unity of bhora and nfrudna, a supportless body of compass sion,^—the embodiment of Slahasukha. Tlie So way a- mudra (the Mudra of knowledge) is the Mudra per excellence—^it is perfect bliss, perfect knowledge, Wc have seen that in the fianipufi/i'd as well as in the Hevajra-panjika Karma-mitdra has been placed in the A’/rmaTitt-co/fra, D/iaruiO’^nuffrd in the Dharma-cakrat Maha-mudra in the Sawbhogo-cofcra and Samaya- mudra in the Mahdsukha-cakra.' From this it appears that Kanna-nmdrd represents the totality of the pro¬ cess and the resulting bliss and knowledge when the Bodhicitta remains in the Nirmdna-cakra, Dharma- mudra is similarly the process, resulting bliss and knowledge when the Bodhicitta is raised to the Bbormo- cakra, Maha-^nudrd similarly refers to the Bodhicitta in the Sambhoga-cakra and Samoya-mudrd to the Bodhicitta in the Mahdsukha-cakra.* *

Let us now discuss the nature of the four kinds of bliss, viz., (1) Ananda, (2) Paramd-nanda, (3) Viravid- nanda and (4) Sakajd-nanda. Ananda is the bliss when the Bodhicitta is in the Nirmdya-kdya, Paramd- nanda in the Dharma-cakm, Virumd-nanda in the Sambhoga-cakra and Sahajd-nanda in the Mahdsukha- kdya. About the nature of these four kinds of bliss the //eua/ra-tontra says that Ananda means ordinary- transient pleasure, Paramd-nanda is more intense, Viramd-nanda means the detachment from the worldly pleasure and Sahajd-nanda is the final bliss. Tlie first involves an element of tactual perception, the second is a step towards pure bliss, the third is for the destnie-

■ Vidr Sarnputm, MS. (R.A,S.B., No. I»54) p. 10(A);

MS, p,

• Cf* ttlao Sekodd^m-tiM (G*O^S.)p p. 412 itpg.

THE EliEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

tion of all attachment and the fourth is the final. Again Paramd-utLndc is called bkavo. or existence in the world of birth and death, and as I'^frajna-'aflnda is said to be of the nature of detachment, it represents ntrud^ia; and ^ohajd-naitda is neither hhavo nor m'rodna, it transcends both/ Again it is said that Ananda is like a resemblance of the world, i.e., here the Sadhaka gets only a glimpse of the world; Paravid- nanda is the provisional world, Firanin-aancia repre¬ sents the world, but Sahaja remains in neither of these three.'

In the Sekoddesa-tikd we find that is the

pleasure of passion which disturbs the mind; Parama- nanda is the realisation of full bliss when tile Bodhi- dtla reaches the forehead ; the next stage is the stage of Ftromd-nflTida when nectar oozes from t!ie moon in the forehead. Even in this stage of Virama-nanda the Sadhaka retains his consciousness of the egohood, i.e., the realisation of the bliss in this stage is associated with some sort of self-consciousness ; but this self-con- sciousness is totally lost in the state of iSaha/d-nanda where the know’er and the knowablc are lost in the oneness of perfect bliss. Of the sixteen digits of the moon the first five represent Anandot up to the tenth is Paronifl-nanda, up to the fifteenth is FtTam-fl-iionda and the sixteenth represents Sahajd-nanda, Again,

' anandena tttkham kiHeit paTania-nandam tato*dhikam \ virtffna-naTido vimsaht syUt jraftafa-nnnddm In jfefalah j| /jrafftomaTfi sparto-fcjanlflffcfl drilijrmfi .^tifehn-raffcliayfl | Irilyflrii TBgn-narffJit’flc cilftirthnm tena bhAvyate ]| paramA-natidah bhavam profttofii nfruanofi W t'irdi§atflh! madAyain^-nsndfii-fndlraM tji sahajam e&fttr oiusrjifam |1 HevajTa-tantra.

Cf. aUo Sekodde£a-t^kA (G.O.S.), pp- 34 - 55 .

’ prdlAama-nanda-matnifi tu pHramo-nandojrt iTiUHdm -jirdma-fehyan ta calurtJiain johofoTii ffnirtnm || .*#***•

jagaef-rupam pardf?ifl-nanela?n uimma-neinfjfm Mtuu tip ridj^etp mhnjam IristJ jf

Ibid.^ p. 27{B>.

Cf, also the commentary,

O.P* 1CI^25

TlNTBIC-BUDDinSM

corresponding to the four stages, viz.t the state of wake¬ fulness (jograf), dream {svapna), deep sleep and the fourth or the final state iturlya)^ we have the fo^ elements, viz,, body (A-apa), speech (uafe), mind (citta) and knowledge {jfiana); we have four kinds of bliss in each of these states and thus the actual num¬ ber of the kinds of bliss becomes sixteen in all.*

Closely associated with these four kinds of dnanda is the theory of the four moments or four distinct stages in the realisation of the Sahaja, These are, as we have seen, VicitTn, J^ipd/ca, Viynardu and VicitTa is the moment when the realisation of pleasure is attended with various kinds of emotions resulting from physical union. Vipdka is the moment when the bliss is matured to knowledge i is a higher

moment when the realisation of the bliss is attended with the»consciousness of the ego as the realiser of the bliss; Vilaksana is the moment when ttie realisation transcends all these three and the realisation of the bliss is free from any emotion of attachment or detach* ment. In the moment there is the realisation

of ^nandfl, in the Vipiilca Paramd-nanda. in the Vimarda Viramd-nanda and in the Vilaksat^a Sakajd-nanda, ‘

This theory of moments and the four kinds of bliss is very important from the standpoint of Togaj for the laj Yogin who will not be able to distinguish between the one moment from the other and one kind of bliss from the other, may take even gross sensuality to be ^oho/a-bliss or ilfa/iasiikha ,* but that is practi-

---

tW

^ G.O.S., pp. 20-27,

’ ficilmn Cfl ca vwuirdo vitaltfanaa taiha |

eatuh Itsarjath taniSgamya evam jdnanti t/oginn^ j|

VicttraTfl vwjdhmn k/iifatttm ^Ungajja-^umbansJikaml Vipakam tad^idporynmm sukha-jkdnaaya bhuHianaTn || vimardnm £/{)ca»am proArlain sMJttftafn frhwiioTfi maytti ea \ vilaSdaptmt tribhyo*nyatta rSgd-raga-vivttrjitnm ||

VKttfe ptatkam&-nandah parama^nando vipdkake fh| vtram-»ando vimardaS ca sahaiS-nanda vaakaane 11 Hcvajra-iantm, MS. p, 89(A).

But c/. of (G.O.S.). p. 28,

THE ELEMENT OF ESOTERIC YOGA

195

caliy adopting the path to hell. It is for this reason that the four moments and the four kinds of bliss must be very clearly distinguished. The Hevajra-tantra says that a perfect knowledge of the bliss follows only from a perfect knowledge of the moments, ‘ Tillo-pada says in one of his Doh^, “He who knows the distinction of the different moments and the different kinds of bliss becomes a real Yogin in this very life”. ’

To understand the esoteric Yoga of the Tantric Buddliists let us now sum up the whole discussion. We said in the beginning of this chapter that Mali^ukha or great bliss is tlie Absolute of the Tantrikas. This Jlaha- suklia in its state of Absolute is motionless and change¬ less T it materialises itself in the gradual process of change. The lowest Cakra of the body (whether the Nirmdna-cakra of the Buddhists or i}ieMulddkara-cakra of the Hindus) is the material plane and Mahasukha remains here in its grossly physical form—it is the sex- pleasure ; and in this plane Bodhidtta is the physical hiTidw (seed); through furtlier downward motion the bindu becomes transformed into the physical body. But as the bindu marches up from the physical plane to itigher and higher planes it casts off its physical nature and approximates its original nature as the motionless and changeless; this motionless and changeless Maha¬ sukha in the highest plexus is the Absolute in which the self and the not-scif merge. The hindw in the ^iVmana- cakra is composed of earth, water, fire, air and ether; but when the bindu in its upward marcli leaves the Nirmav^a-cakra, the element of earth merges itself in water, and in this way, with further march of the Bodiii- citta, the element of water merges itself in fire, fire in air and air in ciffo, and thus in the highest plane, f.c., it becomes pure effulgence. When this

'■ anand^s taira j^yanie kiajm-bhed^na bAedttaAf

stikha-jnanam cuathkdre pTaii&thitam ||

MS, p, ao(AJ* *

• khana~anQnda-bk€U jo

t* iho jummahi fai bfumifiai f| (No*

196 TANTRIC-BUDDHISM

bindu as pure effulgence becomes perfectly motionless in the highest plexus the Sadhaka attains a transubstan¬ tiated divine body with divine (immaterial) eyes and ears i he thus becomes omniscient and all-pcrvading and thus becomes the Buddha Himself.

» (G,0,s.>, p. 7. alio, p. 45.

CHAPTER VI

THE ARGUMENT OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OF THEIR YOGA

ii) the previous chapters we have tried to give an exposition of the theories and practices of the Tantric Buddhists. T)ie Tctionale of the sexo^yogic practice of the Tantric Buddhists is to be found in what has been described and discussed above. We,do not think that any further argument is necessary in tiefence. But it seems that, because of the unconventional nature of their practicesp these Tantric Buddhists were sometimes tiver-conscious about tlie justifiability of tl^eir practices and advanced various arguments in defence of these practices. It w tH, tiierefore, not be without interest to state and examine tlie main arguments of these Tantrikas as we find them in the various Tantras. These arguments, as is the case witli their other argu- ments, are not found in the texts in a systematised form, they are rather to be culled from the texts. But two works are found mainly, though not entirely, devoted to offering sometliing like a philosoplucal explanation of these practices; the first is the Citta- ai^iiddfti-pra^mranfl of Aryadeva and the second is the Tflttoa-siddhi of ganta-raksita/

The main argument, to start with, is that to pass any ethical judgment on the nature of an action, it should always be remembered that an action, of what¬ soever nature may it be, is by itself neither moral nor immoral ^ in its non-rclatjonai absolute nature it is purely colourless, and hence in itself it has got no value, that being always relative. Thus the moral, immoral and non-moral nature of an action is to be determined

• MS. (C.L.B.>, No. TS124.

196

TANTBIC-BIJ DDHISM

by the effect it produces in relation to the general scheme of life. To be strictly ethical, it is not even the effect that determines the nature of an. action,—^it is ratlier the motive behind that speaks either for or against it. The main emphasis of the Tantric Bud* dhists seems to be on this vital point of ethics. If it be the motive behind the action, and not the action itself, that determines the nature of an action, any and every action in the form of some religious practice is to be justihed, provided, the motive behind is nothing but the attainment of some religious fulfilment. The ultimate goal of the Tantric Buddhists is the realisation of Mohasukha iii the form of perfect enlightenment, which tantamounts to the realisation of the Vajra- nature or the Sohaja-nature of the self and the dharmns. With a view to attaining this final goal they adopted a particular sexo-ymgic practice. If we are to judge this practice by the motive which impels them to have recourse to it—and not by the commonly accepted nature and value of the action—we shall have nothing to say against it. If the motive or rather the perspec* live be not pure, they will be like fools building their house on the sands and great will be their fall in the dark abyss of the cycle of birth and death. This path of Yoga with sex-relation has frequently been spoken of as a very easy path for the attainment of success, as it is the most natural path, being in consonance with our natural human tendencies and involving no unnatural strain of continual repression. At the same time it has also been repeatedly reminded at every step that it is also a very dangerous path of Yoga; for, everything depends on the purity of the dtta.

In the Citta-o^t^uddhi-prakarnna of Aryadeva we find a short ethical discussion on the nature of sin. There it is said that the mind is the real agent of all actions—nay, it is the antecedent factor of the dhormos, it is the most important, it is the quickest; it is through the pleasure and displeasure of the mind that our speech

TiNTEIC BUDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OF THEIR YOGA 109

and actions follow. ’ It is, therefore, that the citta is solely responsible for the etliical nature of an action,'

Thus the intention behind an action gives an action a moral or immoral colouring, and as this principle has got its sanction in the Scriptures, no pious man can have any objection to it.* Then the author goes on to say that the Yogin, who has made a ‘ god * of himself by the universalisation of the self, and alt of whose activities are prompted by a spirit of benevolence towards the world, attains liberation, by the enjoyment of objectst and never is he bound down by any such enjoyment. As a man versed in the science of poison knows poison as poison and then swallows some quantity of it and yet he never falls swooning thereby, on the other hand becomes cured of diseases, so also is the case with an expert Yogin, who attains liberation through enjoyment. *

A general consideration of the trend of argument of the Tantric Buddhists will show that their main stress is on the point that no action duly performed with

' tinntahpurvungttmA dhanm manahlrcs^hil inanojaMh \ manasa hr pmsannena hhafitte vo kamti || Vci^e 10.

This VCTse is ndthiiig but the Sanskritised form of the two opening Verses of the PSit text Dhomma-paffa which mu thus: — manopwhbangatftil dhamma matioseithu rnanasd ce paiftrffhena hhotdtf vd haroft i>d| lato'furni tfuhhha^dntreti cahlcnrh^va vaholo jMirfowt |[ mauTpirhAdtignmo dhomirHi inaitonui|fa j,

UiQitasd ce patanncna hhasdn' I'a karoti odj

tfrto’narii sirthii»iat)veti rhopd ua ^flfrpdpiiii Hj Verses 1-2.

^ The author takes an instance bete. An old man was directed by a flumbering monk to go quickly to n place; because of the rapidity of motion the old fellow had a fait .and he died; now apparently the sin of causing death to the old man seems to devnlve^ on the slumbering monk; but as the intention of the monk in ordering the old man to hasten to a particular place was very good, he should not be held morally responsible for the death of the old man and thus he commits no sui. The authority of the Vfnoj/o is also^ referred to here which holds that unintentional caudng of death is no sin on the part of a man possessing no wicked mind. Verses 11-18.

• tasmdd A^opn-mulA hi pdpa-punfya-vpnmsthiti^l ity wlflam dgame yoamda na’pattih Vif&ho-crtasdin !!

Tbid., Verse 1.5.

• Ibid., Verses 12-18,

200 taoteic-buudhism

Praina and Upaya comes within the scope of our pop¬ lar iode of morality. Prajoa, we have seen, is perJ«t knowledge of the nature of perfect vacmty ^out the nature of the self and the dfcarmos ; and Upaya is the "pta oT universal compassion, and these two taken together constitute the Bodllieitta. Now, it can very earfly be shown from the standpoint of Prajna or per¬ fect knowledge that there cannot be any promsion f«  morality, and similarly it can also be shown that from the sUndpoint of Upaya or universal ^passion also Ihere cannot be any provision for morality.

We have seen that the Tantric Buddhists, in unison with the Mahayanist Buddhists m genera, were advocates of an extreme form of ideaUsra. With them the world has no objective b^is; everything that appears to exist outside, is but the illusory creation of the subject. It )s, indeed, extremely difficult to construct any system ot

ethics on the ground of this extreme And as a matter of fact the idealistic Bttddhiste left no scope for morality. It has been declared by Nagarjuna in unequivocal terms that the value of morality is alwavs provisional, there being no objeett^^ basis for it whatsoever. The whole universe of good and bad right and wrong, being a mere creation of the citta, tq ivorld of morality has only subjective value and as such is alwavs provisional. This extreme form of subjec¬ tivism has often been emphasised by the Tantric Bud¬ dhists in connection with the ethical questions pertain¬ ing to their practices. The citta or mmd being the ailttmale ground of all creation, the nature of the citUt will determine the nature of all appearances in the form of actions; and so, all actions done with a pure mind cannot but be pure even if sex-rdation is invoked in them. Tn the Juarta-sidtlfti of Indra-bhuti we find an interesting discussion on this topic of virtue and vice. It is pointed out that contradiiitory statements and injunctions are to be met with in the Tantric texts , some actions are described somewhere as %drtuous and

TiNTEIC BUDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OF THEIE YOGA 201

vioious in other places. How tlien to reconcile these eontradictorj' statements ? It has been replied that in reality there is nothing virtuous and nothing vicious. Virtue and vice depend on the condition of the ciffa. There are three elements (dftafru) which generally com¬ bine together for the performance of an action ; these are body speech (vafe) and mind (wanas). Of

the three, body has no power to do anything without mind ; speech is also never possible without mind ; so, It stands that it is the citta that is doing all good and bad through body and speech/ How then to define virtue and vice? It is said, whatever is done with a view to doing good to the world is right or virtuous, and whatever is done with any other motive is a sin/ All the right and wrong are created by the eiita and it is through tile citta again that they are all destroyed. Charity is one of the universally recognised moral virtues; but the mere action of giving produces no virtue unless it is done with a charitable mind ; the virtue of the action of giving depends solely on Ahe attitude of the mind/ It is finally decided here that ^ there is no other criterion of virtue than the benevolent spirit; any action prompted by such a spirit is moral, and any action done with a malicious spirit is immoral/

It has been further argued in some of the tejLts that the Yogin, before he enters into the auspicious circle

• Ch. rX, Vttsea 6-7.

• Aifd-rffiam yad bfutvet Anrma s/irv/irh sac-caritajh bkcvtti

viparyayat fat pmvadanti /tno-ttantah ]|

7bi'd>, Verse B.

• Ifrftf,, Verse is,

• In the tenth chapter of the same work it is said that the

conceptions of purity and impurity are mere thought-oonstructioas. There is nothing as purity; for, the very existcuce of purity will posit its anti'thcsia iiopurity; and if there be no coneeption of purity at all, there will ngt be any coaccptioit of impurity also- Bolh the conceptiops ore relative and ore mere imagination of the common run of people fX, 0-10). In the eleventh chapter of the same work we find that a Yogin is justified to adopt any woman for the purpose of his Yoga, no matter in what relatipn she stands to lum; for, all human relations are without any objective truth behind them; they ore mere thought-constructions of the common people,

0,P, 105—26

202

tanthic-buddhism

with a view to be initiated iti the secret cult o£ \oga, must possess a trained mind and perfectly purified body (or rather an immortal body) fit to realise the ultimate void-nature or live Sa/iaja-nature of the self and the dharmas. When the mind of a Yogin is thus ‘placed in the knowledge of the vacuity or the non-dual know¬ ledge lie cannot have any mental complex of morality and immorality or virtue and vice. To such a man all the dkarmm appear to be of the same non-dual nature.* In the Ynganaddha-kTama of the Panca-krama it has been said that when the Yogin places himself in the state of Yiiganaddho or unification he should make no distinction between the self and the enemy, the wife and the daughter, the mother and a public woman, a pombi and a lady belonging to the caste of the twice- born ; to him a piece of cloth and the skin of a beast, jewel and the husk of corn, urine and good drink,

MorcovcTf in He bcginuiiiglcss whirl q| birth add death a mother of one life moy become the daughter ot the other life/ and she again in her turn muy become a wife m the next birlh; so there being no fundamental difference between a wonmn the mother and as the daughter ami the wiTCj any one cl them may be adopted for the purpo^ of Yoga. This ocean of world is full of the water of thought-coPStTuetionSi and the yogic jjrocess of the Vfljra-yAnfl U like a raft to take people; nctD^ the other shore.

It has been said m the Ekaliu-uIra-carnfe-irtahn-i'aMM-tafiiro that the Yogia of the Vajra-yojia Bhotild nave no fear either of beaveti or of Jicll; for there js neither any por any virtue; aJl vice

and virtue are spoken of only for the satififoclion of the common people. As every thing is by nature nothing hut the cHUi and as the existcnM of cver^^thing La but momentary, who is there to go to bell and who to go to heaven f

Tii7 pjSpor/i vid^ate kifitit na ptinya7n kincid asffha [ lokanoTii eitEa-r47^7dt|ii pajxi-^mnya-vyavn^thitify S| ciifrt-mSfruTii tjaiuh sarvurit kAans-mdimm ndrakaih ^aceJmti k0*s<ia $vargam prayMi hi j|

MS. (R,A*S.B., No, OOBtl) p. 14(A>,

^ it is siild in the Sftc&nih chapter of the PrnJtSo-jwya-^umwcoya'

tiddhi of Anshga-va]ra that Ln the yogie practices of Va|ra-yiiia

there should be uo deliberation as to what kind of a Mudra should be adopted and what not^ for, through the Yoga, which leads to the rcalisalion of the magical nature of the universe» one can safely enjoy et'erything, Everyihmg having iia existence in the ultimate non-dual substance (dAanun-dhdfii), nothing can be harmful to Yoga; andj therefore^ the Yogbt should enjoy everything to his hearths content without the least fear or hesitttinn. Verses 2&-6U.

TaNTHIC BUDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OF THElil YOGA 208

o^ked food and waste matter, scented camphor and the bad smell of the impure, praises and scorns—all are of e<]ua] value. To him there is no distinction between the fierce God (i.e., iSiva) and the wielder of the thunder (f.e., Indra), between day and night, dream and awakening, the past and the present, liappiness and sorrow, any wicked man and the son, hell and heaven. Virtue and vice**

^ We find it quoted in the Subhdsita-samgraha that whatever easy movements of the limbs arc produced through the Bodhicitta, which is pure by natuie, are to be recognised as the Madras (yogic MudrSs), and aU the sound-^nbrations are to be recognised as the Mantras.

• \ot only that, in connection with the Sahaja all the

varieties of emotions, such as the erotic emotion, heroism, the emotion of scorn, anger, laughter, fear, pity, wonder and quiescence,—the emotions of attach¬ ment, hatred, infatuation, pride and jealousy, etc.,—all become pure by nature and all of tliem‘reflect the know edge of vacuity ; for, at basis all these are nothing but the forms of the one citta produced through the three element^/

In the H evajra-tantra the Bodhisattva Vajra-

‘ tatha ^atrau yatha bftarytl tath^t-lmaja I

yqlfca niatfl totha ve^ya yathd dotnbi tatiid dviid N

VHslTBtft tarn earma yotfi<j mtnanj tfiih& UiUm I

tatha niedyam yatha bhaktnm fatM sahH yatha sugandki-icaTpiiratU tathd gandkam nmcdhyajaml yatha stuukamth vdkyath taiba vtlkuaH jugHpsitatn || j/rtjAfl tudrais taihd yatha mrii fnJAa diva\

yatM $vamMm tatha dr»{atn yatha Tiafltnfi ffffhfi athifani yafAd tatha dnlikham ytitha duffas tatka «iiraA I

ynlAu wet* * tatha svargds talhS puayaiit tu papiihim II . MS. p. 88(.4).

• p. 4?, AgjiiTt it has been said —fooiidi

I^ple thinfc of libcrotioa as somethin^ entirely different from

whatever" there I

women J ‘be Z !he

Subhasita^mmgmha^ p. 50,

TaNTHJC BUDDHISTS IM DEFEXCE OF THEIH YOGA 208

c^ked food and waste matter, scented camphor and the bad smell of the impure, praises and scorns—all ^e of e<jua] value. To him there is no distinction between the fierce God (ue., iSiva) and the wielder of the thunder (i.e., Indra), between day and night, dream and awakening, the past and the present, tmppmess and sorrow, any wicked man and the son, hell and heaven. Virtue anti vice.'

We find it quoted in the Sjibhdsita-samgraba that whatever easy movements of the limbs are produced through the Bodhicitta, which is pure by natme, are to be recognised as the Madras (yogic Aludras), and aU the sound-^brations are to be recognised as the Miintras. Aot only that, in connection with the Sahaja all the varieties of emotions, such as the erotic emotion, heroism, the emotion of scorn, anger, laughter, fear, pity, wonder and quiescence,—the emotions of attach¬ ment, hatred, infatuation, pride and jealousy, ete.,-^11 become pure by nature and all of then/refleet the knowledge of vacuity ; for, at basis ail these are nothing

but the forms of the one citta produced through the three

In the tfeufljra- tanfra the Bodhisattva Vajra-

‘ laffin ifatiUM tfatlm bftarytl tath^-lmaia I

i/otfca mala tatha veSya yfdhd fJlombi littiid dviid H

Iiif^ c<irnivratU taiM gandhntn amcdhvajtfm\ yatha stitUkaratk vdkyam tatha vakyan jugiipsitam || tudraif lalA<f yatka tairii tatha divvll

yatM avamtam tatha dr?lath yatha naffani fdJhu nlkitam , yafM fdlAa dnftkham ytttha duft^s tatka sii^aAf

ifBWti wfw tatha st>arffa$ talhS immjaih hi jHlpiikam 11 . MS, p. 88(.4).

" Subh^iiQ-itiifigraha, p, Agjuu it has been &ajd —fooSiih

^ple think oT liberation fnwXiim} as somethin® entirely different from f whatever’there i sublime

goM aJJ rciind, aJ| the women are to be known as the thimder-

dl mni ™ to b. roooeoteed «« iht o,“, "r

'• “ ■»

Suhha&ita-sQmgmhaf p. 50,

201

tIntric-buddhism

garbha asks the Lord (fj/iagauflii) how it aiay be possi¬ ble to attain success in Yoga in t!ie company of a woman. In reply the Lord says that in the Prajfia and the Upaya there is neither origination nor destruction ; through perfect knowledge of the world the Yogin first of all should realise the illusory and magical nature of the world, and then he will find that all the theses and anti-tlieses vanish in the sky. Yoga presupposes this knowledge about the world and the Yoga performed with this kind of knowledge is always above the range of the ordinary codes of morality/

Tillo-pada says in one of his Dohas, “ 1 am void, the world is void,—all the three worlds are void,—^in this pure Sahaja there is neither sin nor virtue,”* The ultimate reality is bereft of both merit and demerit,'* Now, from the standpoint of Upaya or'universal compassion we see, that the ordinary standard of morality cannot be applied to a Bodhisattva, For, a Bodhisattva has no right to consider the pros and cons

Cf. also,—yds fa ^oruaTii prajnaya

S 0 *pi ^nya^pada-yogaa tapo hy etam raBhatmaiaam. || Sarva~deva-mmigajnfi-ia.itlTa, quoted in the SuhA^^'rir-

aaiiigTaha, p, 49,

^ MS, pp. a5(A)—S5(B}. Id the of tbc

I^anca-krafna we find it pteacribed that in Yoga the Yogin first of all should worship himself as the n11-pervadisg perfectly enlightened one; and then the employment of Mantras and Mudras and the describing ot the yogic eircle and the performunces of offering and sacrifice should all be made as magic; all perfomniiiccs for peace and well-being, and the Ji-AicorilHi performances (like subduing or attracting others) should all be made as If they are all like the rainbow in the sky, and all enjoyment like that of Eex-inteieourse, etc,, and songs and sounds, etc., should be made as if they arc all like the moou lefieeted in water,

ma RtTfi-mudTlt^pmyQganca ma«du (fd)(fi-uikalpaitam | bafi-hofFui'knpdih satvaih kvnj&t mayo-pam&jh sadd || iantikinh poaslikaH cd*pi (ofAd i.-a^d-hhi[cdraiMi | dkar?^-(ft pat sarvom kury&t indT&yudho-pajnam \ iT^gArd-dij-iipBbhogaf\ ca gifa-vadi/d,^i'Sei^nam | kal^u ca prarifdftfl ca kiiryad udaka-ctmdra^vat ||

. MS. p. 2T(B).

aahaje na papa na purmftj

D0hd Nd. 84^

■ Ddto No. 29 .

TANTRIC BUDDHISTS IK DEFEKCE OF THETE YOGA 205

of any action from his own. standpoint, that Is to say, he has no right to judge an action as right or wrong only because it produces some good or bad effect on him. The life of a Bodhtsattva being pledged for the world at large, he may be rectuired to do something which pleases others but may do him harm.'

The main emphasis of the Vajra-yanlsts is on the point that all the other religious systems arc rather

' Thus find in di« —if u womau fdJs passionate-

ly in Love witLi Hi Bodhbotlva and if she lie about to aacriHce her life for him, it is the boundeu duty ot the Eodhisattva to save her life by satisfying hcr^ So the Bod^sattva shouJd transgress the law €VtQ of the ten kinds of meritorious derd for the sake of others*

Hla^patahIbodhhativ^n dusa-kns'afdaj^ apt par^-fthcna khandayiiavyamjyatk^ hadt frdwia-rlhiuJ kdmroJ 4((rl hf>dhiso prati prd^n tyafet f fasyaht kdnmdi^savi^cvanena

pronfi-sonearorh kurya^f

TaUva-dddhlt MS* (C*L*B.) p* 205.

It is for this reason that it has been repeatedly said in many of the texts that there is tiotbiog in the world, which a Bodhisnttva-

J ogtn should not do for the sake of the beings. {Citta-viitiddhi-pm^ urai^at Verse It has also henu repeatedly declared that the

only eritenon of morality is a sincere wiLL for the good of others. Anything that is harmfii] to the beings immoral by naturep Perfect enlightenment has been deuied to the .orthodox monks belong¬ ing to the Hina-yana told, though they strietly observe aJl the so-culled discipline of morality* It Le said in the Guhyendu-tUakn and other Tantras of the same type,—^‘There is nothing not to be done by a man whose mind is equipped with Frajhii and Dpdya; he should always enjoy the five objects of desire most unhesitatingly.

• • «* whose Bodhicitta is firm and whose mmd Ls not

attached to desires, need not have any doubt ut hesitation in this Yoga, his success is guaranteed”*

anst* frmcif cifarfat-i/awi praji^o-paycna Ct?E05a|

• • 1. 1. • «« 

hodhieiEtam dTdham ya^a uihsangd iiJaliY bhsv^i [ viciMtsa fioiva kurtnvya ta^yedum ddhyfite dJiruvam ||

Quoted in the Tativa-slddhit MS, p. tS5*

It has been said in the Updli-ptiripjccha-sutm that the passions of the BodhLsattva proceed out of deep compassioa for the heings- Beeause of the aim and also the knowledge which accompany them they never affect the mind oL the Bodhisattva^ It is* there¬ fore, said that with the Bodhicitta the Yogin himself becomes a god, such a Yogin need not inflict torture on him through hard penance; let him be the perfectly enlightened one through the enjoy meat of bliss. Neither purity, nor rules and reguLaiions, neither penance nor hard works are required for success; success is to be attained through an easy proceEi? of pleasure and bHss. [Quoted in the Taitva-tiddhif MS- pp* 1BB-1S9.)

206 Tantric-buddihsm

defective maBnmeh as they prescribe the most un¬ natural repression on the mijid of a man* Tlii-ou«h the practices of the difficult vows, fastings and hard penan¬ ces a man may inflict torture upon his body and mind, but tlirotigh such an unnatural process nothing like final tranquillity of the mind ean be attained. The principle of the Tantric Buddhists in introducing the esoteric yogic practice is mucli akin to the principle of Homceopathy, viz., ^imtha sijaih'htis ewranfwr. It has been found on investigation that the element, wliich causes a disease under particular circumstances, cures the same disease when applied by an expert physician in a di^erent way, i.e,, in a very smaller dilution. The Vajra-yanists mil also say, that the verj-^ action which binds a man down to the world of infinite misery may help him to attain liberation, if taken from a different perspective, i.c., if taken with the knowledge of the Prajfia and the Upaya. This principle of the Vajra-yanists is found explained in many of the texts in the form of a set of analogies, the main purport of whicli is, what binds the fool, liberates the wise; that which may prove fatal to ordinary people may conduce to health and happiness in the ease of a scientist, that which drags tlie uninitiated fool to the hel] of debau¬ chery may help the initiated Yogin to attain perfect enlightenment.^ It has been said in the Citta-visuddhi- prakarana of Aryadeva, "Childish peo[iIe arc pleased w'ith colour and beauty—the mediocre resoit to renun¬ ciation, the highly enlightened ones, who know the ultimate nature of all form and beauty are liberated.”’ What is real ivith childish fools is unreal with the Vogins,—through this principle the wise realise the end, they are neither bound down nor liberated (ix., tliey realise the state which transcends both bondage and liberation). Only the ignorant think of existence and

• /“/S'""*' VBmlgiynm ^Sjiti imdhifamah\

tvabhAva-}na vmuci/anie rapajiyo’Uaina-imiltthaifah |i

Verse 20.

TANTRtC BUDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OP THEIJl YOGA 207

extinction,—the seers of truth think neitlier of tlie world nor of nirvana. In t!us ocean of the world our thought- constructions are the only disturbing elements; those great saints who have been able to transcend these con¬ structive imaginations are liberated from the bondage of the world.* Ordinary people are as much obstnicted by the poison of doubt as the really poisoned people are ; the compassionate must eradicate all such doubts and move freely. As a transparent gem is coloured by the colour of other objects, so also is the gem of eitta coloured by the constructive imaginations/ but by nature this gem of citfa is free from the colour of imaginations—it is pure from the beginning—uncreate —essenceless and stainless/ Whatever should not be done by foolish people should verj’ carefully be done by the Yogin whose mind is pure, Wlien women are charmed and enjoyed by a Yogin, whose mind is bent on the good, they conduce to the fulfilment of desires and also to liberation at the same time.* By a metho¬ dical meditation on the supreme qualities of the gods a Yogin revels through his passionate mind and is again liberated through the fulfilment of t!ic passions. As a man affected with poison again gets rid of it through poison, as the water in the ear is removed with the help of water poured in tlie ear, as a thorn is removed with the help of another thorn, in exactly the same manner the great sages get themselves relieved of all the pas¬ sions witli the help of the passions. As the washerman washes and cleanses his clothes with the help of some dirty substance, so should the wise remove the filth of his mind through filth (of enjoyable objects)/ As a

• Ibid.j Vetises * J&iV?., Verses

' Verse Nq, Verses

yaiha kaind tu |[

frfinja/ jcladi juttnawa kantokenawa A'diifaitaiii | raficiiimva tathu uJifhdmntr nmnlmjtah ]|

rajfiko vustraTri i7tA/erirtri/fl tu ]

kurifitif I'ifna^ tathfiHm^nnm fii [

Ibid^^ Vctks

208

TANTmC-BUDDHTSM

glass becomes pure and transparent when rubbed with rubbish, in exactly the saine manner when something bad is done and enjoyed by tlie learned, it becomes the destroyer of all wrong. When a lump of iron is thrown into ivater it certainly sinks down, but when it is shaped as a vessel it not only floats on water, but takes others also to the other shore; exactly in the same manner, if through the principles of Prajha and XIpaya the mind can be shaped into a vessel, one is not only liberated tbrough the enjoyment €>f objects but relieves others also/ It is well known to all that milk destroys poison( ?) ; but the very milk taken by the snake is transformed into strong poison. As the swan drinks milk out of a mixture of milk and water, so also the learned enjoy the poisonous objects of desire, but avoids bondage and attains liberation/ Then the author tries to show that no object of the world and no action whatsoever has got any absolute nature with a beneficial or a pernicious influence. The nature of the dhurmas, depend mainly on the collocation of cause and conditions. A slight ele¬ mental change, or a slight change of condition may change the nature of an object altogether. From this the author draws the conclusion that human passions and the actions prompted by them have got no absolute nature of their own, and as snch by them¬ selves they are neither beneficial nor pernicious, neither virtuous nor vicious. As, for instance, poison, when taken in a scientific manner acts like nectar, and even food like buttered cakes, etc,, when taken in an unscientific manner by the fool, acts like poison, so also is tlie case with this cztfa, which, w'hen purified by pure cause and conditions shines bereft of all thought-constructions, bereft of any attachment and is pure by nature/ As the dim ray of a lamp, when supplied with fresh oil and wick, becomes unllickering

• Ibid,^ Vtrses ■ SfMl. * /bid.. Verses 13-44,

‘Ibid., Verses 4S-4e.

TANTBIC BUDDHISTS IN* DEFEN'CE OF THEltt YOGA 21)9

light and removes aj] darkness, as the small seed of the banian tree with proper nounsfiment grows in exuber¬ ance veith roots, branches, leaves and fruits and becomes a great tree, as the yellow colour in combination with lime undergoes a great change, so also is tlic element of the dAannas which admits of great <^hange in asso¬ ciation with Praiiia and Upaya.* Clarified butter {ghrta)f wlien taken with honey, has the chemical effect of poison ; but when it is duly taken, it has got a chemi¬ cal action conducive to health. As copper, rubbed with some chemical substance, becomes pui'e gold, so the afflictions (fclcsa), when purified with knowledge, becomes beneficial to men. The followers of the Hinayana have tlieir fear of death at every step, but the followers of the Mahayana, accepting the religion of compassion and with their mind bent on relieving the whole world and having the bow of Prajha in their hands, have no fear of anything whatsoever.* As the lotus grows in mud, but is never affected by the rlefects of mud, so the Yogtn is never affected by the vices of imaginative construction and of the desires,

The Tattva-eiddhi of ^anta-raksita breathes tJie same spirit as the Citta-niaaddhi-prakara^a. Tliere also ive find that the beauty* and objects of the world, when duly enjoyed with the knowledge of tlie Prajna and Upaj*a, must produce .some special religious effect

bhavanti). It is a commonly accepted truth that some special substance has got the capacity of producing some special effect* as, for Instance, the fruit of the Emblic My^robalan (dnialaka).

• vak7*ih k^o^py tmIa-^tiaTty^r^i~mimkTtah\

fftpo sfJirm-fiminz-TidifitTi/ili |J

vafa-hljam yaihfi ^ahakam-mtmnvitam\

^khA^jitulu-phalopetam imh^vfksa-vidh^yakam ||

narj^-rtfoTiaTTi j#i

prajfiQ^p^pa-mnmtjQgdd faihA f|

VerscB 17-40,

^ Verses 50-53.

^ pankfi-jSt^fn yathd padniatfi paiHim-dQEair nfl Upya1e\ vikalpa^vaE^na-damiff faffta na Upyatc ||

Tbid,, Verse 115.

0,P. 103—27

210

TANTHTO-BUDDHTSM

which grows on earth, has got by nature an astringent taste ; but that very amalafea fruit, when it obtains the additional condition of being run through a process with milk, tastes very sweet. So it is found experi*- mentally that the same tiling may have different effects when affected or reformed through other different cause and conditions. If that be true, there cannot be any doubt about the fact that the objects of the w'Drld, when properly enjoyed with the yogic practices can produce some special religious effect. In this connection it is reminded that there is no such law that a particular thing will produce the same particular effect under all the varying circumstances ; on the other hand, it is seen that one root-cause tnay produce entirely different effects under different collocation of conditions. The mysterious capacity of the combination of the cause and conditions is unknoTvn and unthinkable even to the wise.* That being the ease, it is to be admitted that sex-passions, which generally drag a man down to the level of the beasts, may also raise him Lo the level of the gods, if, however, these passions are reformed anti purified with the knowledge of the Prajna and Upaya. The authority of the is ciuoted here,

where it has been said that as in the cane-fields or in the paddy-fields fertilisation of tlie soil becomes of muchdielp for the growth of corn, so also the reformed afflictions become beneficial to the Bodhisattva.^

As the forms (riipa) and objects (drauya) have no absolute nature of their own, and as their nature depends on the variation of conditions, and as associated with Prajna and Upaya they, instead of fettering the mind of a man in the world of misery, can conduce to supreme bliss and final liberation, so also is the case

. . . MS. p. W.

, ikfU-^ic^etTefti iSH-hfetreiu Mriistdro-^fa Mp(i~

fcdrI*6hillo hhavittifevapi eva bndhkattvntyft hkia Kpdfcfiri-bfcfiro oAOT/afti

Quoted in the Tnttva-nddhi, MS. pp. 187-1A8.

TXNTIUC BUDDHISTS IN DETENCE OF THEIE YOGA 211

with the bliss resulting from any kind of tactual sensa¬ tion (sparsa-nirjafa-swfc/ifl). As in association with Ignorance tliis bliss may be the cause of bondage and of illusion, in association with Prajfia and Upaya it may again lead one to a transcendental state. The whole thing depends on the motive or the mental attitude or the resolution (sanfcaipa). If the mental resolution (manornfha-sonfcaipfl) be pure, everything will be benc- Jicial not only to the self, but ailso to the whole world.

AgsBn it is said, this tactual pleasure may, through practice and a strict mental discipline, lead our mind to a transcendental absolute position, where the tran¬ quillity of mind becomes a natural outcome of the tactual pleasure. As fine arts, through sights and sounds, can gradually lead our disciplined mind to a tranquil, supreme and permanent nature (samahita- parawm-sasuntfl-suahha'ua), so also is tlie case with this tactual bliss. Our deep emotions of passion, grief, fear, etc., and the bliss arising out of touch, etc., may also have a supreme transcendental effect on our mind. The intensity of an emotion can destroy all the waves of mentation and create an undisturbed oneness (samo- rasfl) in the mind. It has been said that through those very emotions, through which the mind of a man becomes concentrated, the mind of a man becomes absorbed in the thatness just like the Vih)a-rupa jewel." The whole tiling hinges, us we have seen, on the condi¬ tion of the subject. As when the Ketaki flower is eaten by an elephant, its scent transforms itself into musk, and when eaten by any one other than the elephant, it has different transformations, and as the Ketaki flower itself is not responsible for any of these

' yi-Tid t^^mi hi bMiarrm nrn^tn|

iena iannuiytxi^m yaH viiva-TUfiff manir yathii ||

Quoted in the Commentary^ MS^

p. A(Aj; quoted lU the ral£va-sWdfti» MS. p.. lOT*

U La hJso found in the with slight in

lending. MS. (R.A.S.B., No. 1127W) p.

T^NTRIC-BUDDBISM

!il2

transformations, so also is the case with our passions; they produce entirely different effects under different eircuinstaiiees mainly depending on the subjective conditions. Again as milk drunk by the snake results in poison and has the effect of nectar when drunk by others, so also is the case with the human passions**

As a matter of fact, what really is the vrata (vow) of a Yogin of tlie Vajra-yana? It is to view all the dhamias as well as the self from the perspective of perfect vacuity. If that he the fact, when a* perfect Yogin sees some objects with his eyes, the objects are void, and so are his eyes; how, then, can the void be affected by the void? The vow of a Yogin is to do everything with a compassionate mind and vvith the knowledge of the void ; and if these conditions are ful- hlled, the Yogin can do whatever he likes without the least possible fear of his being fettered again in this world; what is done with a compassionate, fearless mind, free from thought-constructions, is the best of all the vows.’ .\gam what is topos (penance).^ It is 5ai<l, " To perform all works with a fearless mind—to observe all the practices witli a fearless mind,—this is the best kind of tapas (penances).*

The arguments discussed above represezU tlie general trend of thought found in the Buddhist Tan- tras in justification of the practices they adopt in their yogic jS’adkand. The same arguments are to be found in many of the Tantras and Doha.% explained with the help of various kinds of analogies. Thus it is said in the Jndldnah-va/ra^iiidld-tantra,—“As mad elephants are subdued with the help of molasses and rice, so also should the highest knowledge be attained through a similar process. As some medicine is sweet to taste

• Ibid.^ MS, pp.

• pUTi^i CQ^ktamf 1^0fiinam Hdnarii

mri'a-karmani J}i7viiankai CQtet iwdd | hA/i^TPiit iTuiattflni ij

^ , Tain-n^mddhu MS. p. W2.

TANTRIC BUDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OF THEIR YOGA 218

uiid at the same lime eureii disease, so also is the bliss coming out of the combination of the Prajha and the Upaya,—it destroys the afflictions easily anti smoothly

.Again, what to one is a roj>e for hanging one-

^If, is the remover of bondage to the other, O, the wonderful power of the followers of the excellent vehicle of Maha5'ana! Kama iiere practices religion by deejily embracing women.'" The commentary on the DohdkoHU of Kanhu-pada raises a question in this connection, Maka~»ukha is non-caiisul (nrrnimtttti), whereas the bliss arising out of the combination of the Prapia and Upayw is causal; how then can the latter become the Maha- sukha} The r^ly is that through the instructions of a good preceptor the causal bliss itself may become non- causaL^ The authority of Saraha-pada is also quoted here. He says, “Tills causal bliss becomes non-causal to the great, and it becomes of the nature of Makd-sukha which is free from thought-constructions and is of the nature of self-produced knowledge/ Again it may bo questioned,—-if at the time of the everything

of the ivorld is to be thought of as void in essence and illusory or magical in appearance, then even the Mantras, Mudras and all the other accessories of Yoga become illusory and magical; how can then the Yoga

viplawiA ca mahddalfe || (?)

IfalM i7iafMiiufi({Ai2TTi ki6cit tukbd-arddam vyadhi~gk&t(ik<ifh \ iffajiiopatfa-rukh.tnh todvat hetayu frJcW'tifljrattdm ]|

1. # -ff'* * m

^kmya gtilii-pa»ah syad uparasya ^mndha-kiiftik^ i: aho npAya-^marthyath mah^-yutiii-^uyatfinaml k^minlth gMham flimgt/a b^a/cnli (?) |

MS. (B.N. No. Sanscrit i7) p. 22(B). in the Com. on thfi Marmit^kalika-ianirn, these vetscs lire quoted m belonging to the CTAt^it-ijajfm-ujf^^'tiJ-sadhiaTOn^ Vtdc MS. p* le(xV).

“ mah^-^ukham co nifnhnitiam^ tat kathmh tatha D^ianjliivi^ €3fAo#i/ tvfi s^ad-gutff-pftdemn pfmiinilfflni vat if

MS. (Cambridge UaivtrBily librarj" Add. Ifl^) p. 11(A). " y{td idatn jwitiftifnift'ri-JfifcAniri tad fim niahatddf nwiiif^i-pariht- nam^

MS. p- 171,

214

TANTEIC'BUODHISM

have the capacity of destroying the afflict tons of the mind ? In reply it has been said, “A snake-cimrnier creates a magical pillar and then destroys it, but though the pillar is destroyed for ever, men are relieved thereby from poison, etc. So also is the case with all the yogic practices.”'

in the Hevajra-tantra we find some verses in ex¬ planation of the Bujddhist Tantric practices, and as the Hevajra-thntra is quoted as authority in many connec¬ tions in most other Tantras and commentaries, these verses of the Heuajra-taiitra are made much use of in many of the texts and commentaries. It has been put into the mouth of the laird himself that men may attain liberation through existence itself ; they are destroyed by the fetters of worldly things, but are liberated through a critical examination of their nature.* Again it is said, “The very bliss, which causes death (in one case), is itself called tlie meditation.”’ It is further said, “ Remove ail your fetters of bondage through those very things through which people are ruined. People ore deluded,—^and they never know the truth, —and without truth they can never attain success.’** The other arguments found in the text are substantially the same as discussed above/

• yath& ganidika!}^ stftmbhttiii sudhayitva vftiflfyofil

tafifii'n pisdiltn upoiiffimyaO' [j

Ascribed to Sinti-pSda, quoted m tlie iJub^tddtO'

iftrmgTnha^ p* OTs

• vmtiicyitnie vajm-gurbhu 7nah^-krpa\

badhyi^nie bhavQ-handhena tat ||

MS. p.

^ mamniiTn |/i*iffi tat-xiikham dfiy^nam

ucyaU [|

ibid., MS. p. 14(A).

• yma ytna til tfino Ufia fti Eicndhauam mucyatt \

mti%o£t nfi vetii iir^

tap^ye li

/bid., MS. |K sa(A).

- mail v^si^ iii tht science at poison cdub ter acts the eEfect ol poiwn with, the same quantity of poison^ which causes deRth to all the creatures^ Meat-diet is prescribed fpr a patient attacked with gout^—and thui gout Ls cured hy the application of another form of It; indeed the preseription of medieiue often seems to be con^

TANTRIC BVDDHISTS IN DEFENCE OF THEIR YOGA 215

In the Dohas of Tillo-pada, Saraha^pada and Kanhu-pada we meet witli almost similar verses. Thus it is said,“as one engaged in I he science of poison swallows poison and yet is not affected thereby, so

does one enjoy the world without being attached to it/

■ - * — ; - — -- --— —

trfldictory to the ordinary experienctii The world is purified by the world itself,—ftilsfi im8girtatiDti5 fay grrater roiagiDative eonstnlc- tions* A& the water in the car is removed by the application ol water in the cars so also the imaginative coils trtietions ol cjdstcnce arc to be pariOfil in their turn fay tfae corporeal forms. The fire- burnt are again pacified Ihroiagh fire.^ so those who are burnt by the fire of passiomi are again paeilkd by the fire of passions* Through tZic some dlreftil acti^'ities, through which flU creatures are ruined, they arc again liberated From the letters o( the world, on conditioa that the activities are M. prompted by a spirit of rniivcrsal com¬ passion. People die through p^issions find are ngaiu liberated through the pasiiionss — this is an apparently eon trad ietpry idea,—unknown to

the ordinary orthodox BaddhtstSi'^

yefiaiva vha~khond^na tnriyiinic ^arvadantavah | fCTiflii^a uf^n-fattiJu/no-Uiseap sphoto^cd visam yaih^ vdin-gfhltaAyd pmdl^afel

iipfcnu hurxj/ufr rdlarh utportt aiisadht-ko^j-jand || bh^jva-iiidilhQ hhav^naiva ufl;oIpo?ii pnJiuKrofp/ifdh || kanie l/□fhdl>i?|U]tl pfufi-toyena ferayaFcl

tathd bfidra-uifrafpo^pi dfroraih .^odhyaU frfca/u ]{ yathfi pdva]in-dagdh&^ ca sidhyantr vahnind pi/tioM fatho Tag^gni-ihmdhM ca sidhyanfc r^ga-imhmnS ]\ j^eiia yeas tu badnyanfe fdu(auo T-aiifini-ftarmfl;^| sopdyrns fu feiiafuu miicynafc hhaua-rafidhandf |l mgepo badhijatc hko rdg**ymua ujmiicyafcf riparfta-bljSuoNfl hyena na buddha-tlrthikuih. i||

MS. pp. 87(A)—«7FBb Sec SumpufrT^. MS. p. 47fB)*

Cf^ nbop ^ — yena cittenu ca nam^arr^bandhnnatk ^atHh |

yogmnn tena ctttrna aiigofdnsm galtrgdtoh ]| PpiTco-kramd, MS. p. 20(B)* gi4:7i£iira mQdhii badkyante btiddhn /erf do nil tflir tho!

Vajra-ddkadaiftm^ MS. (K*A.S.B. No. 3825). yepifl yenaiwpay^na nmlld gacchanty ad/m-^atiUi | tciiff temiv^^pdyena yogi pm^idhyatl 1|

Bks/fa-vTro-cnfida-ro^OTJii-njpW-fowImj. MS*

p. 22(A).

Togefia hanyute rago co \

viaato'^pi hany^f upodciSa-pruyogotah [|

• * •' -» » • ' *

iJsnro-jxiprtTa knayarii krtvn vipaifitemiva jitifAyafi'l

Ibid., MS. p. 22(B).

• fjuia iiwfl bhsfc/cftsi nusht pn/uffd|

[fiHifl bhava hhtmwi bkavahi na iriitnl DohAa of Tillo-pSida.

216

TaKTRIOBU D CHISM

As one touches the foam of some drink and yet his hands are not besmeared with the drink, so also the Yogirit though revelling in the objects of pleasure^ is not affected thereby/ As the lotus-leaf is never affected by the waves of water, though' it is constantly in water^ so also b the mind of a Yogin^ which^ though always surrounded by objects of pleasure^ is never affected by them in any way/ A Yogin, thus versed in the fundamental truth, is never disturbed by the objects of pleasure though he may indulge in them/

It should be remembered that wherever the citta clings to the objects of desire t!ie ultimate nature of the self is not to be found ; the ultimate nature of the self can be realised through the enjoyment of the w'orldly objects only when the ultimate nature of the world is realised as the vacuity through the instructions of the preceptor, and in such a state there remains no

^ vkaa rarnonta na m^tsa uam harai na pdnl cehippai f]

DoMi^ of Saralm-pida,

^ puntiT y^tha jafa-faTaRgmii gthitx>d Uit panlywir

nu iipifatt f tadotpannd ca padma-pairdmbhQ^vad iff v^ctinAt f ftbhydiifi y9gm^ m/

Ccimm. on th^ previous Dohd.

=* tnmi' jo uiiifii jiuranto]

na uahui' viuaa mnuinto Ij Doh^ of Soralifl-psdni

It has been further said that the Yogin, who, ieven afiw he ha^ l>eca abb to purify the objects of desire (throug^h his trauKeeiidmtBl knowledge)I does not en|oy objects of pteasorct merely Boats in the void; and for him there is every pos^bility of returning of the world oE pleasure^ His posillon u just like & erow in the oceim, which leaves the mast ano hovers mund and round and again rctums to the ssme mast it left^

i;iiuia-t'i{tti£fff/ie nau Taitmi Jrei-a^a funnel carer I uddi uahia frad iha/i paZiif Jk fa haul pa^Id '|

A^oltiy —'"Dou^t repress the d^ire for the objects of pleasure, says Sarahaj if one does so, he will he destroyed hy these objects of desire again, as is tlie case with fish, insects, the elephant, black- bees and the deer^\ (Fish, insects, the elephant, black-bees and the deer are attracted and killed by their particular attachment to ffavot^, beauty^ tactual pleasure, smdl and sound respectively.) vkodsiitH im h(^ndha karu nrs vadha narahe uaffa| wima poan^oma kart hhfimnTn pekkhoha jwiffn |[ fhfd*

TAI^TBIC BUDDHISTS DJ DEFENCE OF THEIB YOGA 217

diffei'€iice between the worM and the vacuity as there is no dtHerence between the water of a river and its waves/ Profound and secret are the ways of this cultf —who can say anything, and who can hear? Who is really engaged in this cult? This path is just like an underground passage of a fort. As it is very advan¬ tageous to enter into a fort and to capture it and destroy il through this underground passage, so also b this path,—verj’ advantageous to capture the fort of the illusory world and to destroy it through the destruction of all the imaginary constructions of the mind; but as there is the wicked dust in the passage which kills the inexperienced, but cannot do any harm to the expe¬ rienced, so also there is in thjs path a great risk, which kills the uninitiate but can be overcome only by the initiate.* * When water enters into water, there is pro¬ duced the Sflwiarasa; similarly when mind enters into the pure consciousness of vacuity, it reaches the final state, where the virtues and vices of the world go neither for nor against the Yogin.*

^ jattn tri cltfaiii vipphumi' falfo ui ijflhn smriial anija iarimfta fti ntjpa jda bAdM-Jaroa fthdsaTna wrfia j| /bio. ■ kiiu kakijjat ko ttinai; etiAu kafjaim duff ha /ima ftio-jda hiaW fCna ||

• jotto t?i paisfli jalflAi join talsomoToao Aei* |

dofa-gu^fiom dtta toM vadAa poriuaAfeAa tio Aoi' j| ibid. O.P. 105—28

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(by Kuddi]ar|jada)* 49f 91rt* 109, 140n,

154-5flii/

A Dictionary ol PaU Buddhiim (by Hbygj DayidK)i 144 Advaya-fiamatS-vijaya (quoted in the Jii^a-dddhi)^ 14dii Aduoya-fiddAi^ SOn, 91 n.

Advaya-vaira-samgraba, 16, 41-4Snj 57^ 58a^ 60^ fl4ft, 71, S6| STn, 89nt 95n, Mn, lOSn, 106ri, 112ii, 120, 140, I52n, 170ti, Iftln A History of Indian Philosophy (by S. K. Dasgupta), VoL 1^ 24, Sdii Aitareya Aranyaha, 121] 121fi- AkuJ&gama, 171

Amaaafiik^a (quoted in Advaya-vajira-aamgraha), 120 Amanasikfira-dblira (quoted in Advaya-vajm-samgraba) 114n Amrta-isiddhi, 188ii

An IntToduetion to Buddhist Esotcrism (by B. Bhattacharya), 8tij 60, 62n, 64n, OOn Anguttaraj 144-43

Apratifitblna-praJcfi^ by Na^tjuna-pida (quoted in the Advaya-- - vajra-siungraha), 42^ 140*

.Vspecis of MahAy&na Buddhisni aud its Relation to Hfnayiua (by N. Dutt), 11, 18n,

A^ka and his Inscriptions (by B. M. Barua), 62a Asta-£abastikA-praj£a-paramit^, 6A Avatainsaka-sutra, 12-

• 4wakening of Faith in Mahayana (of Aivaghoja, translated by SuEuki),

6, 24n, 25] 25«, 102 Xdibuddhaj 180n idibuddha-tmtTa^ I40ii Ananda-labarl, 166n Arya-mahjusil-mula-kalpa-tantra, 56

Bauddha-gSna-o-dohA] 52 Bhadmp^a-^rama, 49n Bodhi-earya-vatAra (of Sintideva} S, 54 Bodhisattva-bhumi (of Asanga), 66] 60n, 192^

Brahma-sutrai 60

BuddAd-kopdla-faa^rci-fT^ (by Abbayakara-gupla), 185 n Buddhist Iconography (by B. Bbattacharya), 9in

Cary a, Carya-pada» 59, 50n, 72, IIB, llSfi] ll9n, 146, 141n, ISOin 17In, 174-75, lT6n, 170fi, 185 Ccitt4rd&hara»a, 140o

• A^dTTirfl rt/ wonuimpffl qme ihm irt ifalter.

220

T^RIC BUDDHISM

Catur-dec;f-par^rcchfi-v^dfeji{fa‘-tantT^, 18S Catur-mudrs, ein> 101

CitU-visuddhi-prakflradft (ot Arya-deva), 47, £5-56, lOJJ, 115n, 1«7, Iran, m-08, lOSn, 205n, 306^, 207fl, OOSn, 300, 300il Comm* on jlfama-katiha-tonlm, I80n, l4Sn, I52n, ITS, ISOn, 189, 21In, 21Sn

Comm, on ^at-oakra-nii^aija (by Kallcara^a, Sahara and VUva- n&tZia), 16Gn

Comm, on the DohSkom of KSnhu-pada, 121, 122n, l49n, ITjn, lT3n, 174

Comm, on tba Doh^o^a of Kflnba-p9da, ISOn, I80n, iSOn

Davandra-paripfccha-tantra, 122 ji

Dbamma-pada, I44n, 145, 145n, lOOn

Dofia(s) of K8nha-pada, 159, 159ti, ie2fl, ITS, 215

I>obji(s} of Saraba-pada, 141n, 150, I50n, 215, 216fi, 217, 217fi

DohAs of Saiaha and Kd^ba, 140

DQ!3il(s) of TiHopada, uin, 191», 105, 904, 215, 2l5n

Doha (quoted in Haoajro-taatra), 15ln

DohikoM, 50

Doh5ko?a of Kanha(u>.plda, 71. H8a, 121-39, leSn, ISBa, 186n, 180n, 218

Dohakosn of Samba, 172, 186, 186 a D akarpa\-'a (ed, by Chaudhun), IlSn

Dakinsva (ed. by Si9t?l).5r, 88, 6Sa, 1(J7 a, J16n, 110a, 184.85, 14&fi ^5kinT-va/ra-paRjara, 187

Bk6l!a‘Vlra.eanda-'moha~rosor>a*taaira, llSn, 118, 190, 181-89 186n, isen, in, ITlrt, 202n, 91Sn '

Gandhe-vamsa, 9in Ghantti-p^dfyB Pafica-krama, llSn Ghern]ida-«aiiihit&» I8!&n GltA, 12a

Goraksa-siddhSata-famgraha (ed. by Goptnatb KaraSi), iTJa Gnbya-samain, 46n

Guhya^ddki, 4«-»0, 70. 70n, 112, 188^^ uon, 1S8, 154a, 158n Gun^o-va7ra-vtrajfnf'-5adhn)m,

Gubiyendu-ftfaka, 905n

Crfcj/a-twjro-in'riiainl-tfld/iotm, 218 n

Hasting's Encyefonfledia of Heligion and Ethics, 185n Hatba-yoea-pmdfnika, 172, lesn

Herwfefl-fanfm, 56, 67, OSa, 117n, llSrt, 180, 180«, 168-65, ITln, 170n,

231.71

or, 7 o£ffl-rafiia.m 8 f 5 of KrjFUficaiya-nfUla. 71 114 n5n, 121-25, 148, IOTa, lesn. 192, I02a ^ ^ * * *

BIBLI06BAPHT

221

Hevaira-’^tantra, 64fi, 63, 65 b, B6, 66r, 02n, 96 b, 103, 114-15, 117-W. 181, lain, 185^, 183n, 188^, 153-53, 157-59, 166-60, 176-80, 102-95 , 208, 214, 215n

Jllufitratlcmj of Uie literature of Nepal (by Hodgson), I08n Indian Philosophy, Vol. I (by S. Badbakriehaan), 88 Itivuttaka, 145

B, A. S,] 14

Jira/avab'-ua/ramfiid-tnntfa, 37n, 86, 87n, 116, 335, lS3n, 178, 212 Jh&na-siddfai (of IndrabhuK), 45-46, 65, 79, 88, 80n, 01-02, 02n, loOn, 117, 14«ti, 176, 200-01 Jilitna-vajra-gamuccaya-mah&yoga, 187

Kanaka-vaT^a-prajhA-pfiramitft-s8dhaiiam (in Sfidbans-mAla), I14n Katha-vatthu, 145, 145n

ICdln-calcni-ftintm (also 8H-&dfa-ciijli:ra-tnnfni}, T5-76 Kiin8-kal5-%'illsa, 123, L20n K8randa-vyuha, 7

Knyo-somgraha (also En’tf5-anmgrafta-<n6ma-pfi6pk6), 67, 81-881, llTfi, llSrt, 1S6, 186q, I40n, 178, ITOn IC?fno-ifam£ri-tatttfd, 80, 120

Kudrsti-nirgliat&na (collected in Advaya-vajea-saihgirafaB), 8Tn, 108

Laghu-kAla -cnfcra-fcnfra-fd/a-fTfca (oe, Ftmafa-probhA), 61, ei«, 75, T7b

Lalita-vistara, 51n

Lamaism (by Waddell), 72n, 78

LaPkivatsra-Butra, 16, 36b, 18, 28, 28n

Les Chants Mystiques de Kfinha et de Saraha (by M, Shahidullah), SO

Madhyfinta-vibhfl-^a (Madhy6nta-vibhft^-t1k&), 2an, 27-81, 84n Mafag-sukha-prahSiilia {collected in Advnya-vajra-satfigraha), 64, 151 Sfahayfina •sutrftJahkara (of Auhga), 5, 5n, 27ti, 20n, 85n, 82 Moh&yina-iraddbotp&da-sutia (of Aivagbo^), 8, ISn, 102 Mab&y8na-vim(tk5, 48, 56 MaitrSyanlya Upanisad, 181, 184 Majjhitna-nili&ya, 144 Manual of n Mystic, 65, 63n

.Ifamn-koltkA-tantm (with coomentarv) asn, 118 b, 12lii, 194, Win, 178it, lT9n, 181

5(adhyamiha-vrtti (of K£g4t]'uDB}, 18-28, 87, 87n, 44-45, 56, !<», 146. 346n

Mfij^dolcyopanisad, 88-89, 89b Milindu-pahho, 148, liflu

Modem Buddhism and its Followers in Orissa (by N. Bose), 72-78

takthic buddhism

2212

1^0

^^oyj^-s^^^na-|r/cap ITBii Niroftda-tantrA, 112ti

Obscure BeligioiiB Cults a& Ba^ikgroiiDd pf Bcugsh Literature (by Si^ Bi Dasgupta), 62it, B6n, 72^ 78, 187n, 190n Outlines c 5 f Mahay an a Buddhism (by Siiauki), 12

Padma-tantra^ 72n

PaSra-^cramo (of GhanW-pSda)^ 17&n

Purlcn-Jtmma (of Nagwrjmia-p&da)j 51-54, 58rtj 04 m, 87, 88m, OOn^ 93-94, 96«, 110, lirn, 110, 125, 127 Mp 128n, 14^, lS5n, 174, ITSn, 182-34p 202-04* 2l5u

Pflifcc-ftitiind-fippurti* 52, llTn, 185

Pa ata-ta thflgata-miidT&-vi varaua ( collected in Ad vaya-va jra-sam-

greha), 00 Fi

PuiLca-vimsati-sahasrika* la

PancHkaTa (ooliecied m Advaya-vajrarsamgraha), O0fi PhllD^phical Essays (by S* N. Dasguptg}, 2, B7 Post-Chaitanya Sahajiya Cult (by M. Bose)* 178»

Praina-paranita dhftranl* 6B Prajna-p&ramita-hrdaya-djtra* 68

Prajno-paya-vini^rtyn-siddlu, 48, 56-57, &8, 92, OSmj 100-05* ll5n, 135, 155 m, ITeiit 202

Preroa-puncaku (collected in Advityrt-vajTa-^ainMrahft)* 107 m* 128 POja-kha^dft* IOPm

Haiu-kuta-butra (quoted in TMtIiia-srddhi), 210 BatnOvaU (quoted in Madhyamika-i^tti), 28

^'nddhdrfFi4^piiinfcm^o, 16* 102 a

.^aha/a-aiddhj* 116u, 118u

Sauid/oftdra (quoted in Poucn-kmina)* lS4n

(8rf-«imputikd, SamputodbAdva-ka/pu-r^/d), 45* 68, 68 m* &9m, W6«, I14rt, U5n, 12S-2s/lS5* 1S5 m, 140m* 152* 152n* lS7n, 158m* 150* 150m* 102, 165^09* 176m, 102, Ifi^rt, 215it SamTUobana-tfintrn* llO. 172 Sanjutta-nikaya* 145 Sarvu-devfltagnma-tnntrat l4Sri SaundarAnanda Ea\*ya, 147, 14 Tm

Sadhana-Tnala, 49, 50»* 55-58*.62 ji* 78, 79m* 81, 81m, 83-84* 84ri* U4n* 118iJ* 110 m* 12!n, 122, 128* 128 m* 180* ISOpi* 149m, iSsn Seha-nir^aya (collected in Advaya-vajia-samgraba)* 194 m S ckatanvaya-^iungraba (collected in Advaya-Yajrn-saibgrpJiaL 176, 176 m

Sekoddetfa-yka, 75-76* 77 m* 09m* 128, 165, 160ii. 178. 170 m, ITTm* 180m. 181* 192f** 108, T08n, tOdM

BIBUOGH.\PHY

2-23

Studio in the Tantras, 121n, le^n, 173n, 172»

Subha^ita-samgraha, 105, 107 b, 115h, 118», ISlii, 187,

141b, 148ii. 14011, Win, iTOn, 208, 208n, ‘*C>4N, 214^^ Sutta-nipatH, 14-L Sato-sabasrik£, 18 .^flstra-dlpikd, 17

iUk^-samuccaya (of l^anti-dn-a), 7, M5n Si%'a-samhit§j lOBn

Sri-eakra-sambbara-Untra, U5, 06«, 71m, fl4«, 116, 180, 180 h, 170m Sri-dAkSr^Dve HabSyoginUfantra-raja, llOri

Srl-gutiya-samgla-tontra (Srf-guhya-aaniAja, Srf-s&iha|a), 40, 40 h, 47, 4Sh, 50 , 78, 7fi«, soil, Bin, W, OSn, flSn, lOOit, 115, llSrt, llTn, llfin, ISl, ISlM, 184, 184n

^rT-kOJa-cdkm-taitfra, 78, 78ji, 105, 158, 16Sh. 178b, ISOb i ritaac-c h&)i yar&jasa rva-du rga tUpa tisadha tta- mi ukhdkhj/iinM-pni f ha ihh- adiyoga-nAma tomAdhihj 60 Sn-vajra-ma^dAlh-lahkdra (quoted in JMiia'^iddhi^, Sat-cakra-nirupaoa (by Puni^&DaDda), llOn, lfl8fi, IflOn, 172 ^al-^akra-ninipana (by Viiva-nAtha), lOOn .S‘o daia-itiQnaaU b hatia-cnilc m, 01 :i

Tantiaioka (of Abhina%'a-gupta), 04 m, 74 Tatbigata-g^ya-suua, 46

Tattra-pfakaiikS (collected in Advaya*va^a~saiiigraba), 42 Tattva-ratnavali (collected in Advay'a-vajra-samgntha), 41 , on, uOm rattL-a-aiddhi (of Sinta-rak^ita), Olu, 107, 205n,SO0-13 The Conception of Buddhist Xinajja (by Stcherbatsky), 8fiM The Gods of Northern Buddhi.«m (by Getty), 90n, lOOn The good wishes, 94a

The Principles of Mah&yilnn Buddhism (by Suzuki), 342 h T hcrbgathi, 145, 145»

Triiiiliki, 88n, l4Sn

Two VajrayaiSB Works, 45, 70

L'cchu^ma-tanlftt, 112« 

f/;>5fi-poriprc(?hd-f«Mfrn (quoted in TaflLa-siddhi), 205 m

ra/ra-da^a-fuiiinj, 385, 21Sri Vajra-mhla, 1S2

Ts) m-i'afl-naMta-Mta sidufu-pa iij ijtn, 3 77

I'a/ra-uAfdA^kalpa-niaAfifaafra, 04n, llOa, 181, lain

Vigraha-vyavartanl, 22

ra)ru> jiano-sddhaadn gu n i, 91 n

VijAapti-niitnti-siddhj, S], 88n, S5n, 148

Vijilana-bhairava, 64n

Vimata-prabhA, 61, 75, 77fi

Vimiina-vatthu, 145, I45a

Visuddhi-maggo, 80, 145-46

tahteic buddhism

224 .

6S, (»•»• 8»i», 140, 140n, Ifli",

lUn, 218A

40, 40n

YogaciTA-bhuBU (of Voaubaodbii), lOSn

Yug«laddha.prflka^# (collected in Advaya-vajr«r»mgr*lia), 4S,12S^

INBEX

|Tbe wQrdft arc arraugi^d in ard^r cl ibe Bn^lutfa nlpbabeti. Fji f liaK Wd^iU are given in Roman witti n cnpitaJ. Non-English getieral namea end ^ words ue given in Roman ’with m eepital *ad dUtriticnl mark#. TeekaiouLl non-BtigEih temu are In nnall itolio with diacntlca] marks.]

Ahhaya-mndri^ 97 ahhcda {nerve) 18^ ah^iedrOj 70^ 3P nhAtdAnrraap. 17 obhimulCtAi, ll, S2

adkifeka, 74, 175-77, lTe«-77n Abode of btisi^ 140 Absolute, 160, 103 ; oneneift 148 ; rtate, i£Ti imity, 1S3

dbhdvn (nerveh I69n abAdva^jtcz/poiid> 43 obhil^a-paiiAdpo, ZT-ai, a7i 05 acala, lip gs Acbala, Tg dctfCn (nerve), l^On Aetive eonielousocss (pranfftt^ tjtjiianajf

Adamantice knowledge, 177-7fi ; nature, 51, &7 ; path, 57 S reality* 177 ; truth, 40^ 08 ; way* 78 ; woman, 11£ adkonnn (nerve), leOn Advaita Vedanin, S8 adveya, 80, 1^3, 128, 190, 140 AfQictinna, 210, 218^14 dgni (nerve)* leSn jlgnotticr attitude* 1^^

Aisvarika (seboot)* l07fi- Kfcft Aibi-cakra, I 02 n

Akfobhya. 14, (^, frin, TH, ytsii,

57, Wn* lao, 130, 178, lT6 Ail-conscndng mind, 24, 26, 84

All-pen’ading bUia, 158 .All^pervading 0 Dane§j* 101 All-pervadmg universe] eiinBi!iaitJi- neif, 130 Albvaid, 3B, 196 Amarolf, isgtt

0,R lOfl—20

^ AmitAbha, 84, fl4n, 7S, &4, 95n, 07, 100, 157, 150^ 178, ITT Amltiyujj, Olj 09n

Amoghaiiddhi* 64, D4j, 95n, 07, S&n, 180* 130* 178, ITT

anupuefAt-seaa-ni&bdtuit 146 diinp3dAt-4e|ii-iaTnddki* 04 fluuanifli^ 181, IST imutpMa, ^ onuUnm-jnmddAi, 185 Anutiara-tantre, Tin Anuttara-ydga-tantn-ylna^ Tin AnihaU-eakra* lG2n, 168, 160 aiiga^agdra. ISO npara (nerve), 160n apdiiu* T4t 73* 166n, 178* 184:* lAan, 18$a

iipr&tisQmkhya-mrcdhat 14T Arabant bS arnga, 196 arciamstT, 11* 82 Arhathood* 7 arth^hhatc^ 28 urOpdf 47 ariijKiwJhdln* 46 mamprai^ta^iamadhi^ 14T Asadga, 18^ 02, 14T cxmiHt 136 atbim (nerve), 160rt □ninp^atd, 26* 44

Aavagho^ja, so, 34* 27* 87, IDS. 147 .44vtnI-Maf!m* ISSn ati-mtiua^ 51, 52, 117 ofi-lnii£/afd* 116 Atiyoga-tantra-yiJia, Tin AvndhOtJ* (-tiki), l]6p 164, 160,

170-71, 174, ISOa* ISO, 101 AvadbuU-mand^lnh 16^

Avadhiitl-pi* 41 .4va1okjtc4vaea* 7* 8, 07* 130 24

ntfulifd (nerve), IfiOn dhhic^nka (performanca), 304tt

226

TANTKIC BUDDHISM

17^77

Maria-jA^na^ 9in

Adi^Buddba^ 73-711, M, lOS, IIQ*

non, ISO

Adl-prajba, 108, 110

Adi-'iakti, 108

^Qya-vijjtdna, 34, 36, 88-06 aii, 07, 130-31, 134-35, ioi, 169, imrt, 170-73

51-83

ala^a-inaiqa, 51 aioAropoia&dkir 53 Ofok^hua, 51-52 dnnnda, 167, 131-63 ArmpyAkma, 65, 160 Ai^'a-devA, 55 drya-MUtya, 8, 143, 167 ATyB-tIr5, 07, lOQ AryA-viidAlA-kirtir 108 fifund;^ 167 fltiiia-tatlva, 167 5^a£atid, 63> 09fi 5udraiidj

fcfllt, 100 b

187, ISTfij 188n Body, 14

Bb^dra-pidar 40, 153 bhagfit 8Bi 117, 185-54 bhngavailt 118, 114n

(proilia oi), 114 bAona, 09, 100, 100, 192-03 bbpJ0-fra|far 186 bA6t^a> 48

bAdua (n«rT«), IGOn bAwa-lfaipanap 43 Bb&vfl-viTcka, 30 bA«da (nErve)^ 169n BtDspflrja-mudrB^ 07 BLtuukB-pada, 140, 1B5 BhatA-nitliB^ 134 bAilla-tar^l8p 33-34 hindu, ea. III, 13S, loan, leon. 138n, 196

|n/d(«), 61, 64n, 65, 34, 164 biia-7Fidn(ra, 68-65, 05, 05, ITS bodhi, 11, 14, M, 5Tn, OOu, 174 Bodbicitta, ID, 46-4T, 57, liTfi^ m, 70, 76, ffl.84, M, M, OS.

100, lOOn, 103, I05n, 135, IS8, 155, 146, 334, 153-50, 164, 170-71, 174, m-31, 137-05, 200* 308* 304fi 10

I B^xiiu-nund, 93, 69n, 112-10, 108 I Bfidhuattva{s), 7 hS, 16-11, 13, 15-16^ 47, 54, 70-79, 04, SOis* 03, 05, 07, ‘ 160, 101, £04^05, 365n. 210

" Bodbbattva-bh&mi, 10, 83* 15S , Bodb^attvabcMK]* 33T I Bodbisattva VairagB^bhii, i57 BodiuHitt^a VojrJUattvaj 63, 308-^ BadbUattva-ytiifi, 9, 16, 71* Bodbi-vck^a* 63

Body (lu th« epitome cf the amiTcr&e), 161

I Body (oi tAe mediuin), 161'

Body of bllsa, 18

Body of enjoyment, 14

Body of the Jawa, 12 Etody of transforaBtlQQ* 14 bofe, or holak^^ 113 BralimaiL, 160 braTima-randAiia, 170 Emimia-reBlivatio*, 91 Brobma-vihare, 83 Breath coaUoJ, 156* 168n Bnddba-gbo^B, 145-'46 Baddhabood, 10, 65, 92-00, 105, 153 Buddbfi-baya, 14 Buddbalosy, 14-15 ^

Buddha Mah&valrocana, lOOn Buddha Yijraialtvap 04ii

cet^T^ (plexus), 78, 70^ 97^ 104, 162- 68, 163*, 165-67* 169-70, 156-90*

105 *

(circle)* ISl !

[ (eytU)* 135

i (^Akra-pAtij, 97

j camana, 169, 169** 172, 172*

I eandrd, 160, 169*

I C*iidni-kirti, 19*, 20** 14S Ca^^oro^^aj 171 CoHiac plexus* 162, 162*

Carya or Upiya-tantTM-yino, 71* Caxy^ft-tantitk, 71* cafKfAo^i* 160 Cause s.nd conditlona, 43 CeieBtiai BuddJui Ithhcamn, 62 CetE^brai plexus* 162 CbantuiifSt 71*

Charm, 70 Cikitsh-Lantra, 3 cinfaiaapt kii|a, 97 ! Circle af effuifeace,

Cirde of timej 78

%

INDEX 227

170

citux. leSn^ lOlp m-29f 201, ^02jit 307?

(iterrrf^ lOOn

dtta^hSird, di ^ConsoaonEs^ 121^ 173^-70 CozutructiTe funttldD^p 10& Constructive imftgiiifttioAi SO, 03^

£<!rT

Cosmic cnenessp 40 j priuciple^ 1S8 ; onit^T IS Created Body^ L5 C^itive potencies^ ^

CuudOp fiS

dc^ftiiu (nerve)* ifci(i-6hunii. 10 DcJilecl nettirCp 10S l>emDiii£iC[i| Buddii&i, TS-74 Dependent aristumtionp 15j 4A dtvai&-taitvii, ICT dhamanaf 160Up 172j 172ti

{/^urmo-cnb'a* 123 p ioSt l&i, 1C7-0S. IPS

DharmB-cakra-murlra* 07f 100 dAormo-d/taiUp is, 34 ^ aij 49, 55, 75. 101-05, liSSp 177, 101, £02rt DhftnuA-kaya^ isiSp sr. m, Top 105n. 100, 124, 1S8, 14S* 151-53, 163p 167; 171 dharma-megha, 11, flS DhftrmH-mucIrdp 123^ t65t lBl-92 dhtirmn-3tait^imucf 33 - 33 ,^ oun, l£0 dkarma~taihal3.t 14 (//ionna-DasiVot 02 dh^ta^a, 101 p ISln, 137 dh^dra^Kr), 68p 60, 70* $2 d^atup BO

dhyann, 7$, W, OSu, 101, ISlfi, 187 Dbyiul Buddha ( 9 ), 14, 70* 94-07, 100, 130, 150, ZB3 Dbyanr Bodbiuttva* 14 rHsmond element. Ilrfi Diaturbins element> 207 diirpu-jnmad/ii, 14Bn Dlpoj&kafa* 14 Ddcetic conceptioQt Dobi(s)p SS-59 p OBt l«Ni, Hi, ll2n, llBn, llOn, IdGn, ]75, ISil, 191, 212 Dormant seedsp 92, 33 Double lotus, 164

Dualltr, 3, 23, 27-S9, BT, 104, 123, 127

Jukttd (Pmjna m)* 114 dumflg'umdp 11 , 93 duefd kttla, 79 * pT (nerve)* 169n Plkinlp 75p lOSn, 160 DombTp lOOp 202 Dombi (Projul os)* 114

€, 160, 160n ESuJgcnt natuiep 174 EgohMd, 120, 103 EBO-priadpIc^ 2fl ekagmtd, 191-32 Eba-jatA-sAdhananij 50 Eiezuent of Nirvana* 14B EnSp 25

Esotenc Buddhism, 175 Esoteric metbod, X Esote ric practice (a), 41, 31, 39, 156, 175

Esoteric scboolf 62 Esoteric theology* 41 Esoteric yoga, 103 Esoteric yogic practLces* 36* 190 Eosenceltianeae, 23 Etern&l Oux, 21 I ei^ath, 122^^

' rva^kSm, 122

Evolulian of the eoiUQOUsiieaa I (etd-otonrts)* 40

EspedieBce f-ient}, 11, 101, 128, 135 I Experiential seriefi* 80-51 I External categories, 54 J Exticuie nibilists, 27 ? realisUt S7'SS

L False ideDlisaticn* 147

Female ccunter^part, 16$, |34^ LTt.

]

1 Filtceu rirgiti of the mooUi 164 Final hli»* 1B9 , Final stage, 150 Final state, 190 Fire of time, 173 Five Abhijoas, I07ii Five Buddhas* 181-85 Five dhpiooi, B5 Five jMnot* 134

Five kmda of hnowlcdge* M* S3ft Five kinds of lustre* X95-S4 Five kinds of 194

228

TANTBIC BUDDHISM

kinda iif wfidotn^ ifia Five finuLies tSU

FiT« 

Five 130 , U 9 . 173 ,

lift

Ftow b| couftcioiuneur ^

FckUr nAfdJ (st^fu in the

l«7

Fpi]]' C4tjei^dti£^&, 163 Four kin^s of bllsa, IBS^ leo-Qs Four kmda of /ASnnrp 143 Fottr fflomcDUp 100-^

Foot ]^fiidr^> 3 ^ 10^91

Fpui- noble tmtba, 163, 107

iiJkhgk^ 160-71 ifarbAo-dAdtUp lOO^ llOn Gau^ft-pfida^ SS-aO Gautama (fitiddba), 14, 07 Gath A («)^ 3D, Ofin Geocrative ener^^ 135 GtMldtu 189-00

gr^haka, S3, 33, a5p 96, 2^, 14$, 109, leOtt, 171

gtahtfa, 3Wp 32, 55, OS, lg0, 14S, 1^. l»a, ITl

Great bliJH, 114 , las, lift, I40n. 160> 191, 195

Great vehicle, s Great woman, 09 guh^/ahhi^ehUf 170-77"^

Guru, 139, 1T5 Gnru-voda, 175

Hatba-yoffa, flO, ]60 HAkiui, I09n

Ueruktt, S4a. 73, OS, 107, ifffl hetv-jrratyayat 0^ tSa, 21 Bevajrap 03

HmdU'Buddhist veruaciUar liteia- ture, 102

HluayaDa, 17,

Hlnayanists, T, 13

^fd^i/ctp 05 Itnman Biiddba, 07

Ideal reEcertian^ 131 i‘<m. llS-lOp 104. 160. 169a. 170, 175, mn

TiQiBinatioD cf exiateuce, 45 Tma^nativc eointructipni, ^13

Ltumutable btisa, l40n | vMimc pnndpla^ £3 ; vuidp OR

Impure states (af mind), 51 Tnreaaant him, 149

ludividml conaclgnsne^ij t50

IndrobbuG, 79 I-ness, llO-ll Luhnite hlbs^ 155» 169 Initiap^an^ 175-TT

fatanse btim^ 112-13, 143-ta, I40n,

155, 164, 179-4i0 tiiterdn] eatejrnriei, 34

itsndaT {FrajltA as), 114 iapa, LS4 jupd-uuialiici, 134 /dgrut, 104

jidldiulhdra-haad^ji^ l5Sn Jinipili, 82 /hdnas, 81 Jiua, 04

ISp. 33, 1112 idduu-mudrA, 113 -TuAna-pAda, T3n inana-sattva, 93 fadna-Cdtii?a, 187

118

t^ldsdhhtfelmj 173-77 ifambalRmb&ra^pIda^ 50«i Kanaha-muuip 97 kapha (nerve), 175 karf^npdin, 169n Kamu-kulip 123n fcnrmd-mJtdrfl, 123, 154, 105, 191^92 Ksirna-nAtba, 04ft, 133

kamu^^ Op 10, 40, 54 , 59, 50it^ 75, 03, 96, 03-195, 111, 124^ 126, 128, I32p 135, Xmt lTO-71 Kaiyapa, 14 Kakiul, l^a, 168 kdfa<akro> 72-75 KAla-eakrA-ylna, 81, 72-75 kAlilgar, 173

mi, 87, 120^21“, 124, 104, m, l»Fip 170^75 kdmn, 47 ^dma-dhiltUp 46 Mmq-kold, l^S-SO KapiJi, 195

Karmlka ichooi, lOTu ‘

Kliyapa, 9?

ISDEX

229

5®», ua-^U, M,

liS6

kha^Qtu, l£Qn Kh4abx7ia^A-s£iibaDaT tSQ khtcan miiidrii. igSa iqon^ llS

kleiAvarai}a, 23^ S8, 1»2 KriJeiuxhAikda^ ST Kriya-pAdip TJ

KriyA-tacitra, 71 n Kriyl-tantra-yin.!^ Tin ^f£pfii|]i|^^pdnE!-;n2aa^ 33 h Kr^Sc&rya, iw. 12S Kudddla-pfidfip Kulkurl-pada, lls, l^ip ■tuffl (famiJy)^ 78, fts» 97 ^iifci4(ii^aJiRi^;(afrhp UOn, im kutuhhaka. 1^, ISSn, imn

Lady racuity^ Ll2 inland, 118-19. Ul; 169-78

Larynj^al and pba^iiaval picxua,

162, 1.6Sn

Law of knrma, 81:

Likiiif, 163n» 16G Left nerre, 12S

Liberatioa. 26^28, 88. S8, 40^ Sfi. lOS 5. 181, ISS, 148-49. 1T&.

19&. SOa, 21fl* 214

Littia vehif^e, 5

Looaiii, 78, 07^ 123. IRO. I8fl-GG ffrko-dAdtir. 18 /ckdi-ronifdrjian^, 95a Lord Ca^darofn^a, 116, l!Se Lord MabSsaukiiyAp ihs Lord MihftAiLkliA. 166 Lord Mind, 113-16 Lord Supreme, 88, 88n. 08-94, Wr too. 113, 180-82, 136, 155

Irfjrd VigrAJBttva^ 76, TTn^ 89 ji

Lord fin-kiln-ulLrAf 75-76

Lord firi-raabJjulcLai lU-^

Lohii, 158, 161, 167* 182, ltP7 Lotui in tbe eerebnini, 158 Lota* ID the beiH^ 162, 179 Lotiu in the beut, 170 Lower T*nta-a. 71a Lumber plexut^ 162. 162ft

'fjMlic, 70

^ ^fasie circle, T9-74

Ma^iral naturtf of the UniTerve, 2CUn

KfntciNiL nature of the worM, 2D4 Tnahd-bond^a, iBSq Tnftftd-hedhop 18Sfl ntobd-kompS, T-lO maha^mudra, fiOn, IIB. 12Hn, 157, 165, I88n, 191.92 I mah&-rasa^ 186-87 moAdrS^n-fUi^kap 187 mahA-itikhat 77. Sa„ 112-18, 155 p 189-10, 142, 148-^, 168. 177, 179- 86, 153, 192, 10V96, 219

I Mfthl-eukliii-eakra, 120, 166, 168, 199 Mahl-siikba-liftniftla, |68 Mah^-atikha-hlya, 12, 167, 192 Mfthl-aiikha-JMiiiiftdlii, IMn ^faii£-siikha-y&Da. 140n niaAS-^d^ono, 167 51 fth5-aattva, 93 Mah8-eanRbii, 6

5fjthiUM^lka, (sLd^hf), 6p le7-€6 rfto^ d-lunifii, 31-52, 126 5fab5vtreavara* 67, lS4ii MaLajana, 1-0, IS, 15-18, 87,

S4. GO. 63, 79, $2, 55, 00, 98^99. 148^7, 15L m, I71t 188, IBO, 299, 218

5fah&ydJia^A9tro4» 86 aioJiiyiiiie, 41. 6L 100 Mnhaydiuatt, 7* 13, 14, S4I* 2iKt j ^rahAyo^fa-taotra'-yinm, 71ft

I matthunay 128

^ Maitreya, 14^ 16, 27, 62. 07

moitfl. 50," 166

MiuilraCs), 50, 56. 61^ 65, 63-70, 7^ 67, 93, 104, m, i54r85. 167, 203.

201P1

Mftfttra'Cliarizia^ 78 Mantra-nay a, 42j 60 Mantra-ldatxft, 60 Mantrq-Utlra* 167 Moutra-yenft, 60-fil^ 7Jii|, 72 BIftittfn-yo6ai 184 Mftijuiri, 36

61-B2, e®, T4^ BS, M, IW, 103, lODn, JlOm, 177 SiU^ipiin (i^fa), 1S8, is6n, leSn, lOa. 1«S, ITS. ISSii Mass produced t^inaufh t]i« miirm of Sivk and daVti, 129 J Matrix cleinetit, 109. llOn

230

TEflnilC BinjDHTSM

Miai]yikiiiika(<h 97, *l-a, «2, 146, 176-80

ktunkkr, 67, m, 190, 163-66 Buddbft, 14 ?norii^a» SO SS

may^. 111, ISO

mlropAma meditatiaHi 1^

41

Bfcnlal ccDstTUctiati^i 14S AI«4itaL complexes, 97 Tn^rutfaf^a^ 101-63 MiarocoaziiT IGl Middle nerve, 174 Middle path, 27. TOO Mimimsl tbediy of &7

ModifiemtioD nf eci»$daii«tieu< 62 moha huh,, T8» ST mohena, SO

MtimenLa, 122. 166. 166ii Moon, 121^22, 176, 173-7B, 166, LSSrt, ISO

Moon In tbe forcbeed, ISO Moral virtues^ 201 mudtid. 83, 166

Miidrl(!i), 61, 63, 69. mn, TO, 80,

03, 06, 07, 102. Ifyin, 104. 100. llOa. 118, 168. 177. ITTn. 178. W* ISTit, ISSn, 205, aOln mufa-bandita, 183n MalAdbira-cakra, llOn, I62n. 16$, 103

Mystic circles, 57, 61-62, 60, 177 ; practices, ll^n ; lyllahlest ^ ! imian, IDO

N^airltinft, 112, 18Q'81, 155, 171, 174. 190

Hortakl (Praiol ni>, 114 Natural path, lOS Navel leg'ioii, 183, 1^ ndde, 68. ISOn Ni^is^ 16Sn

Nufftrjiina, 18, 20-28, 86, 44. 62, 102,

148, 200

Nl^ariiina-pbdi, 51, 116, 140 KlthiaEn^ 72 Ke^ativisti, 44 Ncpale» Bitddhiuu, 107, 109 Nerve syvtem. 3.83

^ Nihij« 40 ' Nihilinn, 82, 66 Nihilistic^ 43 ui^iira&kGua, 28 Nlkay«((>. 167-68 Nir^ua-vldlns, 41 fiirin^lKn-CjiikrO, 128. 156. 165-86,

16S». m, 192, 195 nirifid^u-kdpa# 13-15. 106. 163, 107# ifism, m

uiriipddA i-le^, 126j 148 Kfrupddbt-ie^d saiuddhi, 56 nirvana, 7-8. 11-14, $2 23. 87. 46^1^. 4B. 53^56, Mft, 79, 99-100. 102, 116. 118, 142-51, 158-59* 161. 177, 186. 190, 192-08, SOT j > dhatu, 148, 143 i

' without any rciidual subatra-

tiua# 146 s

with aaEue residual fub«tratum, 146

I nifprupemcd^ lOl

muftti, 3. lOT-S. im. llln, 125 Ncu-alSrinstlcin (udhiidrtiiKi)* 30 Nou^cauaality. 21

Non-duaJ, 8, 38, PO, 43-50, 130, 14011,

m;

knnwled^, 154-55. 202 |

' nature, 156* 203 ;

quintessence, 153 ; aubstauee, 202^ ; truth, 155 ;

I union* 180 i

Non-duality, 8, ll. 98. 100, 104, 112. 127, 154-55* 164 ! Non-enli^htenraent, 26 ^ Nan-eni* 35

Non-negation {druipooijlo)* 80 Non-phenomenook 191 ' Non^ubjeciivity, 126

Nun-aiibstaiitLal nature, 21 Nou-void, 26* 44 Nyayo-lantra, 2 Nyiya-vai4e|Uu* *

I ^

ObjectintT, 73. 37-35. 44, 67, 09, Wn. VM, m

Objeetle^ con^iouaqeES* 80 Ouenesi of the transetndentid etuo- tion^ 169

Oneness of the universe, 188 Oneness underlyin# phenomEna, 147 Ovum, 123

EODES

231

pobSa/ya, 174i PndmAp TO, IGSp ISS P»dma-n&ft«^vanip Fadma-nfitlia, ]S&

P^mA-p&^J, fr

pAdrojt-vnirA TO, {ftiitltor>p 18&

Pali BuddhiflMp 9

imn

Pfludlt Advaya-vojra^ 41 paKCabhijndtvaf IBT paRca^hhuta, M-QtS lai

pan£n]-&dni(].|ut^a, 70 paiica-tTiaAraTOp 70, TOn po^a^enrAa^afa, 9fi jHira (nerrelp 160rt parafcAdvd, 30

paramA-iianda, 1«, l«8ii* IffTp l&T, lGl-08

jHiromdriheip IS parain«ivari, 104 paratofllim, 95, 51 paraiantra-wvubhRva, S5 par/lcdlpildp 85, 53 parratWd^, 0 partniipartaa, SSp 53 porirntpaiti^ 85 Pjuf^a-iavarl, 82 PatA^idi, 65

PAndarikp 78, »T, 12Srtp W»p 165^68 p5r<tniarthiAa, lOl, 17!^ pdtamiid, lOp 18, BO* SOn, 82 P87Bsut&-nAyftp 43, W-61 PATvati, ISO, 153 PstaojaEa-yora^ 147 Perfect bli«a, 148, l€Op 102-66 Perfect ejxtifhteniuetit, lO, 78-76, 127. 150, 174. ifll. m, 205n ; kaowjedsep 0, T|, ISO. 155, 177, 103, 200p 204 £ meditim. 1$| f imion. 4$ \ vmcuityp U2, 212 ^ void, M.Mp 88 ; wisdam. 55, 02, 08. 152^53 Perfectly eoligbteaed one, Bfl. 1JS7,^ 204r

Perfectly motiooleEfl, 106 PbyaJolujncal analysis. 161

118^18, 164, 169, 196a, 170 175, 168a pitta, 178

PlclCui, or* 181-88, 195-OS

i DrabfcdAarf,. U* 82

IVajBd, B. 11, 44, 48, 51-52. 84, 69ft, 75-7$, 76a, $2, 88, 0$, 88. lOO-28«  180-41. 14S?ip 152. mn, 154, 105. IGO, l$9fj, ITI, 178, 177-78. 167. aOOp KH, 204rt. 205-11. SIS pTQjM-hhi^eka, IT6-77 proinA-jnand-bhifd^a, 177 Praja^-piramitAp 14. 68-64, 9S. 114. 116. ISO

Prajol-paranuti-iaaBtra, 64 yraT^S-puMtaka, 62 PraiM-TardMai, 82 prajRc-pdya, 70. 104. in prdA£JdhiAatni-lanii, 130 prakrti {nerve). I69n I prakrti-do^a, 52-5® praktii-prathAsvQTat 89 I pramudiCg. ll, S2

I 166

I prnti-imtibAvd aiVadAa* 146 prafiftra-B'aiiiu^jjuafa. 18-19 . 54-85

I pratuavek^apa-jMna, 05n pratyaharn, m, lain* 1B7 Pratyeka-Btiddlia. B, 1®, 16 , Pratyeka-Bnddbfl-yacm. 9 . 18 . * 1 .

1 Tin

I prdvfiti, a, 107-11

Prajaiku, 108

prd^, 74. 169n, 178, 184. ISSn, leOn prapa-vaytt^J^, 162 jn^ndvama, ISl-ST I Presiding deities, 150, 165 Pre^idiaf goddm. 163n. 165 Prinaal Enlightenment, 93 1 PrmiaJ Lord. 03

Primitive Buddbism. 142 ( Primordial sub«tazic«, lOT

Principle ol defilement. 186-87. Il2

Principle of impnritiei^ 5®

Principle at parity, m Principle of miioti. m. 138-38 pfiti (dAydftd). 181 Provi&lonal truth {tomuT-ti-sati^n), 18, 126

PrUiag-yana, 78 PTfhivi (nerve), losn Paycho-pbyaied practical. lJ|a pudgalii (puggn;a}, 145, 177 pudgafa-nairdtTnvo, 8S^, 126

TAXTHJC BUDDHISM

23*i

Pwtt tODIflQUADWj S3r 6^. 97i I 16, SiS, 147-41^. 164 : dlhilfeuccj IM ; irnmulyj 4S r wiidcira» 10^

Purufs* 170 I (nerr*), I60n IM

rojakx (FrKj&K u)» 1X4 rdioj, ie9n, 170 ttrXffSp 65 l•akca, lUp l^n

famna, llS-10, IW. 16W5. 160“7a BmtUA-ketii, Offn Ratpa-CAtliA, 64n, S2p 04, ISO RAtOO-^fB^CUi 97

RAtna^uinlaliarA p 64^ 04, 85n. tf7i OOn, ISO* m, iTHp |?7 ravi. 16071

T^ga, 206, 203, 1S5-10

7S, Wi

Hihu, ITS Eaja-7ajrAp OIn tdJ^fiEp 163n, 1S6

l^oliAatioii cl il 1>^ fi'rad (ndiratmiri^

4fi

1S4

RecepUidp minil, ^£6 Red matler*

Rtflecfced mwareiaeafp ao Refulgent bcd^r^ 2i reffii (□Ervc)p lOOn Right Dtrire^ ISS Rpot-ifiKtineti, 126, SS^ SSr94, 247 Sa, 47p 04^ P4fl , 07 rupp-dhpfttf 46

Satril plexus, IBa

SierD-c<^ce7geal Jpilexii^

»ad-d/iarm4iF 10

SiLhpjft, 63, 74p 77* IBS, IBS* Uh

153. 10S-S4p 2(m^ \ “hJjss. Its, tSi, 130p 157j 264, 170, 101, m i —dmoisel, U6, i71p 174 ^

— form. ISOrt? — kl^Bp IS, 00, 16B;

— nature, 173. ISOn. iSe, IBS* SOM :

— prema,. 107 ; — tundnri, IflO y — tonUp lO&n ; —yiJia# 61^ 71, 77, DO, 153-SO ; —yliiijitB, 143 SnhajAiuLndAp 107p 101-90 Sxbniiyi* 60* 77 | Buddhist «cbwL 00 -f »ecti !H> 1 fcbool* TT-TS ioAoioR, 28Si« 

ipboirdm (-padiad), llOn, 156, |6a^ 60, 170p ISO laRp^a^a* SO SamAntA'bhadTmp 97 tamnriM^ 133^1^ Slip 917 ■dittatO-/SOnap OSn* 177 ApmogEi, SS j —fetila, 97 ;

— miidrS.^ I28n» 165, lOl ; « 

—9attvQ, 92

S&mndbi, 107, 131* mn. 167 i — klyn, 14;

— fcudrft, 97 earndna, 134

tambPtPga-co^ra* 190, 158, 164, ISO* lOa ; —lEdpa, lX-13, 106, 124, 190. 167p leOn, 171 idniZwdAi, 70 patnbuddliap 9B Safflctiw {fPiMotflh Si4, SO jrpnzjirajRafa-#dmOdbtj 147 jgmJ/dk w0mhuddhfit. 7 tsmjna, &*, &4fi* 97 urnlc/ciu* 29

iamfdrn, 1^, 26, 40^, 55, l±5, 143, 154

tSHukarU^ SI, 34^ 9411^ 07, 101, 143 tamtfidlf loS * —^ddpj 167^^

124, 170

lamtfrti ISflp 1S4 e — ffltyp, ITO

Siinikrik Buddhixm, 3

01, Oln, 122, ISO, 103 ipnbmnft, 167

Siurxba-pada, 89, 09, 115* 2)9 samA^dtE^ 170 ^E^r^'n-huddha-krofAtf^ 32 jrarL'd-d5qrfnd-][^a^i|tibdJia-vadpp 4i ^ flqrva-fliftya, 51, 53^ liA Sarvidtl, 172 ; —rada, ie7'63 ;

— %'idiHi* 37

170

SautriintjkRfi), 17^ 41-42, 145-46 vayupdd)E^«£ja-nibfidfia* 146 ipdAnna f-iifli, ^k 6>, l-X, 49-50, 55, 5rnp 60* 7g* 81. 88^35. Ill* US. 124-25, 130-ai, T60, 167. 176-77, immt 212-lS hddlivmati, Itp 82 Sikilri-vldmi, 41 ^amaroMya, 141

Siihlibyap 4p. ID, 04, 111 t —txntrm* 2 Seed* 120

Self' parti ii^xrisxti on* 26 Selr-pri>du«d knowMgr, 10fl

4

rXBEX

ScIf^reftliutioTip Self-sufficient uturf,

Mtv&t 1<*7

Sexo-yogic preotice (i), ^Up 14^ 1S5-A?, lAdp i&b, iM,

Shingon sectp tm Siddli&ciryas, 59n^ 11.0^ 175 sctd 1^

Six p&ris of yogu, ISI+ lain Six T&thfigntju, ^76 Sixteen digits oI the mnon, 164, IflS) j^WfioW* WnW, Whi. IfHp 165 •mrti, S4p 56, 156 iiPWMi (nerve), leSn ■Djiddhifefe. t?6, 146 SurcencXp 70 Sound vibratioiip 503 Southern Buddhlain, 3 Spinal cord, 16t-65, 170 stamh^nnA, 60 State of blusp 167 State of imiDn, 0, 14 Sthavira-vadA^ 167-66 Sth&varlf im tthira (ttcrve), lOOn Sthiracnutik 27 tfAufd (pcrve)t 16&n Subjectivity, SSp 25^ 57-a5, 70, TO, 37, 66, mn. 104, ITI Subllminial mind-stare^ ao Succesaioaal serieip 31 Suehn«St 56^ S^p 10| radu^ai/ap 11, 82 rukha, 132^53, 181 168

Sukhatatr, 143. 156-67 Sim, 131-52, 170. 172, 186, leSn Supemataral knowledge, 187 Supreme

Supreme hWsa, 40. 116, 14-h 151

les, m

Supreme realisation, lOO rufumnu. 118. 100-73 tu^upta, 194

jicDihcdd^-dAdmiA-dlidfu-yndiiii, Odn

ifikfmu (nervclp 160n

i^rt^ap t60p 169n

SOtmCt)^ I7p 68

audblintTo, 21

Svabhava-klya^ IS

tUffZakfu^. 59p 80

Svnbliavika, 107

O.P. 105^0

233

SvIbhAvika aebnui, lDT~fi «^ddbt-di3iyatu-90ga« 92 Sr&dhiftbBJiap 03, 15B fuddAif^^Saa-cakra. lOSn, 166 ivadAifthdna-cicu, 32 jx^faafrird. 139 iabdai^ 68 Suiva Tantrasp 13S gjlktiWp 3. 7B, B5, IlfUSi 119, l£fl‘ 02, 186, 141, t^n. 160u, 170^ 172, 180-90

iaiin (nert‘e)p lOOn Savara, 6l

I63n, 166

jlakta Tantra. 128 SAkyamunti 69 Sakyasimbn Buddha^ 14 SauU^pudHk 2l4ii

Siva, 8> m.'110-12, 120-30, 132, l4l lean, IGOn, 172 Icnn-biWup ISO

^ravaka, 9, 10, 16 ; ^yana, 9. 13*

41, 71a

in llenika, lis iri-klla-eakra, 54, 153n itutm£i-iEnnl]a£|iJiiiBp 155 lukra. iGBrt

Siinyata, 5, 10. 15. 23, 2S-51, S6-ST*

42, 44, 48, 64, 75-76, 78, 86-88, 01, 96, 98-106, 111-12, 116-21, 154, 12S, 102-34. 141, 147-48, ISOn, ISiSj 170- ri, 170, 178, 182 i "doetfinc, 22. Si, H s —aiaeiiee, 8S i —^Ihana. 08 i '-knowl^ge, 96^ llSn : —nature. 51, 0®. 182 ; “percep- IioHh 111 z —penpective. 181 ; —y&na, 87

iflnyavndBf 4, I&IS, 58, 50 iOnyaVAiiins, 13* 35, 87 SadakfATf-lakeivarT-BiEltianain, M, 56 181

iamoM, lOOu^ Ito tuuffidtm. 04-05

Tao, ISO ; — Um, 110-11 ; —wU, 111 tarkn. Siln

TatbfigBta(ft), IB^ 47, «4*i, 8B, 99n, 131, J83 I — vigtaha, IS tathata, IB, 23- 25-27, SI, OS, 101, 106, 100 ; —doctrine* 147 X

too I —nntuTe, 07 i — riipd. 12 ; —vSdu, IBn, 20. S7

TA X f R i c B UDDU ISM

’i*, laa, nil, m\ iitJ, 174; — bfroTT^ffla. 44, Jft4; —/niliiy*

4^

Tlotric : — prfltiiw.

W t —7U ; 4

TlHtricump 4, a, ai» 70, 71 T&ri.

Telp 110

Tcp Baddhfth,, ItS Thstima« 12^ S£a, S4, ai, lofi, iot>, las, U7

Tiierd, & 5 —HKfldnp I6S

Three elez|]|-iit>^, IWI

Three kiym> li, 14-15.

or, 73. t*0, 104, Iffli, ni Thought-cunilrtictinn^ (8-50, D&Jt, 140, 119-51, 174, 101, '202.1,

^1:1

ThuiwJer-eJenu^iit. ItftJ “

Thuntler or vi>id ifirL 81 Tliuoder warn no, 157, ^jflu ThikoderlHilt ve];iJeb, 7“

Tilli>-pada. StNi, T&l TiiUlity of the iwiverw, 14. Totality of tHiijnp 31

Ir^iit^kpa^vifnifa^ G1

Traoacendeoto) hiw, 156 j e^bUriEi-e 28 ; 211 TrajHiforznidon fto^Jyi 15 TraiuliormDttim of ecnwioui^Tiiei^h

Tri4ufbntiltkir the 4«x-plrn!iure. I<]4> TraBtuhfttnhltnteT LOO Traji^iibf^lmolinleif ili^jnf hotly, im tri-cfhdiu. 201

lOSn

(ri-Vr^l, 170 rMn>a. IM TttbiLa ht-AveOp OH IVil veiU, 03

irrcflfujttiil, m liclana, lHr4

l-kuoatc elemrnl, 155 ; —inlrotJiPij iahhipnfifa]^ 32 ? 151 ,

170* nton, 21C j —reniity, 173; —^tHte, 15a ; ^iuLniliuieem lLi7i

1^ ; —inilb. \m, 150. ast Uireiiiniirdmijdoir fte^MLkL!itjH» ad [ToeutnpiroiniiiiBjr mhiliMm, 13 Underfylno onruess. im UndbtiirL^eti om-rkcsa, 211

1 Union uf witMluni wllli matttTp tlo t -oiveriBl eomtiiMifiiotl, T-11p 4t&p 51,

I 3ft. «3, 08, m, \m, aw, «f>4

1 tTniv^ialiaiidim al l3>e wlf, IfMI

I 63

I 160

UFMiiii^ddap no-Hi, 05* IW. 160 ;

~^dic. flo *

Upaniiadve oiniti^iiii, 4, la 82

«|Mii!(iPiaiOddii, 178

iikpdnbst'il^ 167

np&Uo^ Sp 51-5Ci, 70. 1H3-

41. l4tHi, 152* 15an, l:fl, 185, liiOp JK0»* 171, 177-78. 187. 2Wlt 201,

204^1!* 200. 2UU^ 200-13 ujutMO'^iindd^Up 102 h

i K/irM. «wi. Joe

Ulijirr Tfljit™. 71 ft Uf^l^a-hamnh^ ]38p 156, li32-oap 1(43, ITT, 188, m

j t^^iifa-vijoyA, 82

I A’ni^tdly, 44, 4li. 112, IIBp SSfJ. 216 IT

' t'aibl] a^Llta, 17, tl

VBirfteBftO, 14. ti4i rt4fl, 78, S4, £h|ii, l^ft, B7p S»0. 100, im. 150, ITU. 177 Val^avB Sahajiyi^ 178 TiLQlm. r2n

I V fiijrrt, 52. 70, 78. »« 8r, K!,

j U7-18. lar, 130. laofl. ijr; j — bhaiTBVa, 78 ; —bhiskjLri. 81 ; — eeUnJ, 81 ; — OS, 124,

ia>^L* 148, 155: — dliitu, 100, llOPi; —dlial\‘ilvBn,p 78, 81, 07, 180 ; —hnihhati, 81 ; —jfi4iia* 48, 177: — japa* lfl5 ; — kanyi, 81, 113 ; — koyit, 12^ 80-00 : ^icfaemri Si : — knowled^r, in^l | — mahiiil. Hi X — Bftture, 7ft, 81, Itw *

— niri. 203ft : — nmtha, iSfl ;

— piini* 47, 07 ; — niMiHl, 81 i

— rripiftl, 8J ; —sarAAvatT'i^fitll^a- I nanip li^H ; — itatti^a, O-l, 75-76,

I ftlS-Dl, rei, m, Oi, IIW, 124-2S, 127,

! 150.51, 137, l l@p l.-S^-SS, 155, 173 ;

— Mtlvahwcl, 187; —«ftUv£Tmik5.

I m ; — ^stpiirsini, 81 ; —^virya, Olrt j —t5.fi, 78 I ^tifi-siitlhiinain* SO ; — Lrlasitii. 81 ; — tlirpadi, 131 ;

— ^'Birotafla, m ; — tarilil. 81,

^ (i8. uwyftl ; vikii^til, 04 ; ^ill-

■ aini ; SI j — yina, «l.

J>'DEX

235

i

«1, tU-73, 77^, tt* 51, flCI,

H0H, IJW-a?. L^i;; ;

—yinLiU* oo. s®. r4«,

tiftS 06 ; —yufit, IWi, 157 VnjrA, ITO Viijrnlih4clt4.p 17i^

V»jrlciryji, Ti VajTij;^im^|fHjinftr S3 Vajjij^ia, 61 V^ireivaTf, HI r^/'raKp lOSn vairo^i-mudrar IftSii rdjrojNiimf'inrflitaLion, la? iruHlp 169, lOOn i^itroe/a 07

var^m^ ^-66

Va^ubandhu^ la, 27, SK ij(i. tfr, H7 V&sinnatL ^

SlJ

vffhdna, Q5> 97 j IS2 r4md, aOp l*?thi

Viribi^ 56^K, IDT, ISl, JHin. JSd v5«dH6p 2K 215* 5i!l. Sl-»i, 101, iLHt.

vfitfUi S2-5ilp 173, is^ • -Iflf lvii* 162 reifandp 04, 046. 97 *

Vrdiata, 4, 35-36, 30. Hi ;

£7Jip 55-M ; 170 ; -tip, |U.

fai, la \ ^tic mptiLim, 16 VebLck of jfTtmt bliw^ I4iln

Vcili 6f gubj«cdvft>-p lllj! vicSrn, ISl tfcrfro, 166t 191. IBH vidvefd^a* no VilitrAp JfiO Jia

vifhapti-mairutd^ IB, ffij, ff7* uiTfidnap 24, 23, 43. 91* &*n* Oti^OT ; 'IMn'wamii, 33 ; 4, 17, 23.

27, aw* 05, 147-16- 1<J6 ; |

rSiJtna, 15, |3, 23. 27ii, 35, 35.

ST, ST, fKI* m

1(17, 101, ID* tTHfd/dp 11, Jfif

rimunJff, lOB, 10|, rfit utmur«a, 129

166, 101, m

tirumQHQndo, 1,13, imt, lai. tii7*

391 Ml

tinaftt, loan, ISA. IIU, IWirt. IKOh

VftfyffrfAd'^in^mp J(!3 £b, Iqs, 1«4(^ I

164

Vi«a-|xigi, 07 VUva-tUsa. icii;eJ* 211 ViAva-Tajm-ittijcIrn, 07 DrJxia-wianmi-fcuipia^a, 84it Mini wind, {65-68 181

vivria, 124, ITO. lOOn I6drt

Toid 1 iDp 13, 15, 37, 23.

25, 27-2St W. 42. 48p 51-33, 61, Sip 84, STp OOn, 126, 130, 154, 136, 304, 2{12-^13t ~C0D4eiousiii:^, 06; ^-clt- mejit, 134. 133 ; —mtiiclp ll2 ;

—imtwrjp, 66, 147. 3W \W of rvaimi!^ti60, 1*6 Ti'owdg, 121, 172-73 I WaWond, 2n v^dnop 164 iKD^t^ahdriicap ITfl

Whwl [if tiJiie,*T3 Whirl of time, 74 White lUAtter, laj Wdtnb of the Tilth iifnti darbAct)!, 26 W'orJd force, 189 World illufiinrti tS6

Dubwam, 109, iSfl WO/Htanar 160-71 WaiHtnr. lOBii, mt YdnAfa), 15-16, 32, Iw4 Vitnika school, lOTn ino-lu

Yo^a, II ; —'philoKjptiy, ti5p 72 ; -sajJhqitn. 178 t -tintCAp 7tn, 701 -tantrji-yiuA» 71a Tftfipa with nuc parts, 181 Y'o^lcflra, 16-1S, 27* ST, 41-42, 62 Yo|f6irariTi(Sp 39* 41^

Yofic cLrele, 3to3tt, 294ii: —prnciict-s, 41* 40 39. 6lhi, 61, 136, J3S, 174^73, 177, ISOfl* I84p 101, 202a ; —pri^ resjc«, ISO, TO^m j —onion, 17M

Yiipial, lia, 1T4

^\iHopoz]j$Afis, 160 jvaai-modrc^ l8Sa WDifunodflbup 1%^3K, 149, 202 uoi^atli US

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